


Kings and Shadows

by orphan_account



Category: Wakfu
Genre: Adventure, Epic, Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-01
Updated: 2014-12-05
Packaged: 2017-12-16 19:07:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 52,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/865530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Back from the Crimson Claws, Yugo and the Brotherhood of the Tofu look forward to some well-earned rest after they saved the World of Twelve once again. Or did they? Maybe there's still some evil lurking in the shadows. Contains massive spoilers for the whole show.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The warning

The golden sun blazed over an endless sea of grass. Lone trees swayed in the wind and wild flowers of every colour speckled the landscape. From the rolling hills to the distant mountains, the meadow carried with it a nearly intoxicating feeling of life. And peace.

The only one enjoying the view was a thirteen year old boy lying down under the shade of a tree. The blue, fox-eared hat he wore was soft enough to make a good pillow, but now was not the time for sleeping. There was the entire world to see, his entire life to experience. He stood up and grabbed a colourful fruit dangling from the lower branches. He didn't know what it was, but nevertheless, it tasted great. He started to keep on going when a sudden realization struck him.

_Where am I?_

He couldn't remember coming to this place. He didn't know what this place was either. He suddenly felt lost, his stomach tightening as though he would fall into the sky if he didn't hold on to something first.

Something grabbed his free hand from behind. The boy yelped and turned around, dropping his half-eaten snack. A little girl looked back at him. She wore the same kind of funny hat he did, except it was white, just like her dress. Strands of long blonde hair emerged from it, reaching her shoulders. She stared at him with her large blue eyes, a faint smile on her lips.

“Sorry, I didn't hear you,” the boy started. “What are you doing here? Are you alone?”

“I came here to talk to the King,” she answered like it was obvious, as if the boy should have known.

“The King? But… what are you talking about? What King?” the boy stammered nervously.

“You. You're the King.”

“No, no I'm not. You must be confusing me with someone else,” the boy insisted. But he didn't sound convincing, even to himself. _There was no way she could have known_ , he thought. _It was a secret._

“My name is—”

“I know who you are,” she interrupted. “You _are_ the King. Don't pretend you're not. I don't have that much time. I came here because I have important things to show you. Follow me.”

She turned around and headed towards the nearest hill, and at this moment the boy noticed she was going barefoot. But he didn't follow.

“What are you waiting for? I told you, we don't have much time,” the girl said impatiently, as she put her hands on her hips.

“I don't recognize this place,” he hesitated. “Where are we?”

He tried again to remember how he got there, but drew a blank. The girl still had the same faint smile on her lips. It was starting to irritate him.

“The only reason you're here is to see what I have to show you. Now, follow me.”

“No,” he said firmly, shaking his head. “I'm not going anywhere. Not if you don't answer me first.”

The little girl sighed heavily. “You're still so stubborn. Will you never change?”

“ _Still_ so stubborn?” he repeated.  “Have we met already?”

“Yes, but it's not important. This place doesn't exist. I can only talk to you while you're sleeping.”

“You mean… we're in a dream?” he exclaimed, astonished.

“In _your_ dream, yes.”

“So none of this is real?” the boy said, waving his hand at the horizon.

“It's happening inside your head, but that doesn't mean it's not real. I don't come from your imagination. If anything, you came from mine... but nevermind that. I have a message for you, and very little time to deliver it, so will you please follow me already?”

Once again she grabbed his hand and started tugging him up the hill. This time he did not resist, still puzzled by what he had just heard.

Once they reached the top, the boy looked back over his shoulder. The landscape had shifted abruptly. The tree he had rested under had disappeared past the horizon.

Startled, he yanked his hand out of the grasp of the little girl. She flashed him a reassuring smile.

“Don't worry. Nothing bad can happen to you here. Take a good look around.”

From where they stood, he could see for miles and miles around. More hills, more trees, and much farther, standing above a huge forest, the boy immediately recognized the Tree of Life of the Sadida.

“You know that place, don't you?” the young girl asked.

The boy nodded. The Sadida kingdom was one of the very few places in the world where he felt at home.

“I love this place,” he said fondly. “But… what's the point of showing it to me?”

“To warn you.”

“Warn me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “About what?”

The girl didn't answer. Instead she only waved her hand at the horizon.

The sky darkened, a cold breeze blew, and before the boy's horrified stare the green fields changed into a barren desert covered in grey dust and dead trees, as if it was suddenly contaminated by a deadly illness.

The song of the birds, the noise of insects, it all vanished. There was only an oppressive silence left, the silence of death.

“Why did you do that?”

She shook her head. “I did nothing. I'm just showing you the future.”

The boy couldn't believe what he was seeing. The Tree of Life was still there, but it looked entirely burnt. Everywhere he glanced, there was only death. He felt his legs getting weak and fell to his knees into the dust, realising it was cold ashes.

“The future? This is no future! It's horrible… why are you showing me this?” he asked feebly.

The girl got close to him and took his hands into hers, trying to meet his gaze. At that moment he realised she had a white flower attached to her hat. It was just a detail but somehow he felt it was important, without understanding why.

She smiled gently. “Because you're the only one who can see it. And the only one who can prevent it.”

The boy shook his head, entirely lost. “Prevent _this_?... I don't have that kind of power. How could I do that?”

“It should be much easier to fight the cause than the consequences you see. This is the result of deadly war. The nations of this world are going to tear themselves apart. You have to find what event will start this war, and prevent it at all costs.”

The boy kept staring at her, waiting for her to go on. But there was nothing more.

“What, that's all?” he said with disappointment. “You can't help me more than that? I have to find who in the world is responsible for _that_ , all by myself?”

“I wish I could help you more, but I can only see the broader picture. If time is like a flowing stream, living beings are only tiny droplets on the surface. It's impossible to see the influence of a single person. But if no one is aware of the danger, nothing will stop the impending disaster. ”

The boy scanned the horizon. The scene was so horrifying it felt surreal. He still found it hard to believe that such a terrible thing could actually happen.

Then he looked back at the young girl in front of him, still holding his hands. Somewhere deep inside, he knew that he had already met her, but he couldn't put a name to her face. And then there was her way of talking, too mature for a child of her age. There was definitely something odd with her.

He finally asked the question burning his lips from the beginning.

“Who _are_ you?”

The girl had a very childish laugh.

“If I told you, you wouldn't believe me. It's not important. What's important is that you remember what I told you. The world may not look in danger at the moment, but trouble will come very soon, much sooner than you'd think. The fate of the world is resting on you... and the fate of our people, too. If this world is lost, our people will have nowhere to return to.”

The boy looked away, still not convinced, and frightened by the responsibility.

“You really believe I can manage that? I'm just a kid...”

The girl smiled and reached for his face. He didn't resist, closing his eyes and letting the palm of her hand rest on his forehead.

“You're a lot more than that, Yugo.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Yugo awoke with a start, drenched with sweat, his bed in a tangle of sheets. He tried to remember where he was, and clear his mind from the remains of that horrible, lucid dream. He recognized the bedroom he shared with his brother at the Sadida palace. But he had a lot more trouble understanding how he got there. Then after some focusing and searching, it all came back to him at once.

The Crimson Claws. Phaeris. Emrub.

Qilby.

After the battle, they had flown back to the Sadida Kingdom, landing in the middle of the night. They had needed several weeks to reach the Crimson Claws, but on Phaeris's back, they returned in only a few hours.

The guards had nearly wet themselves in terror when they had seen the Dragon. A black silhouette in the night, his wings blocking out the moon and half the stars, Phaeris must have seemed like a nightmare given flesh to them. King Sheran Sharm, Prince Armand Master Joris and Alibert along with half the court woke up because of the racket and arrived quickly on the scene.

Ignoring everything else, Alibert had rushed straight to Yugo with wide open arms, visibly alarmed by the thrashed and scruffy look of his adoptive son. Too tired to make any audible sound, the boy had tried to whisper reassuring words before giving in to exhaustion, immediately falling asleep into his father's arms.

Now he had his thoughts in order, the Eliatrope sat in his bed and stretched his arms, jostling the golden Tofu that had been sleeping next to him. The tiny bird looked around in confusion, then he chirped joyfully when he saw his young master awake. He threw himself at the boy's face.

“Hey! I'm happy to see you too Az!” Yugo said, grinning widely.

He took the little bird in his hands and gently kissed it. Cupping and stroking the small feathery ball always gave him a reassuring, soothing feel.

Golden sun rays were entering through the giant leaves that blocked the balcony, and they painted glowing figures on the ground. Outside, birds were already singing on top of their voices. The day was obviously well advanced already.

“Come on little Tofu, we need to get moving. I guess it's already late and―”

“You can say that again!” cut in a voice Yugo knew very well. He turned with a wide grin towards the blue and white Dragon who stood near the door.

Adamaï already looked in a much better shape than after their fight at the Crimson Claws, even though he still bore wounds that were likely to never heal completely. The most visible was his uneven horns. The left one had been cut clean through and half of it was missing.

The Dragon walked in the room to stand near his brother's bed, smiling joyfully. “You just slept for two days straight, you big sloth. It's nearly noon.”

“Two days! I mean, I know I've slept in, but two days?”

“You were completely drained bro,” Adamaï said lightly. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a herd of Gobballs ran over me,” Yugo answered. His arms still bore the marks of his fight and his whole body ached with a dull pain. “But apart from that, I'm fine. I'm starving though.”

“Alibert is going to fix that, he's making a gigantic lunch to celebrate our return. All our friends are there. That's why I'm here to drag you out of bed.”

Yugo salivated at the mere idea of stuffing himself full with his father's delicious cooking. It certainly felt like he hadn't eaten in two days.

Then he realised it would be his first chance to have a real talk with the Brotherhood of the Tofu about the events of the Crimson Claws. Yugo would rather have avoided that, if only for a while. The memories were still too fresh, for him and surely his twin brother too.

Suddenly the image of Qilby _begging_ him for mercy came back to his mind. He shook his head, trying to get rid of it. He realized Adamaï was standing still next to him, staring at him carefully.

“Are you sure everything's fine Yugo?”

“Yeah yeah, don't worry,” the Eliatrope said, trying his best to sound convincing. “Just, you know, trying to wake up.”

Yugo sat on the edge of his bed and looked at what was left of his attire. His clothes had been torn to shreds during his fight, making the trip on Phaeris's back through the stratosphere very cold. “Uh… I guess I'll have to find something to wear.”

“Ah, sure. I've seen Alibert sewing you a brand new hat, he might have finished it already, and Amalia has found you some new clothes. She asked her two valets to help her pick out something.”

Adamaï winked mischievously. That made Yugo wince in horror when he imagined the kind of clothes he was going find. Maybe a leaf loincloth— _no—_ with a braided flower collar— _NO—_ and mushrooms on his— _NO!_

The Dragon burst out laughing. “You should see your face!”

Yugo frowned at him. “Yeah, right. Very funny.”

He found a neat stack of clothes resting on a chair, and was relieved to see it was pretty much the same outfit he used to wear. He started putting it on quickly while Adamaï sat on his bed, Az flying around until he landed right on top of the Dragon's head.

“Did anything happen while I was out?” Yugo asked.

“You mean while you were snoring like a piglet?” Adamaï taunted. “Well, yeah. The King wants to assemble a council as soon as possible, to hear about what happened with Qilby, the Crimson Claws and all that stuff. They've been on my back all the time, I could hardly get a break. They even wanted to get you out of bed yesterday. I tried to explain there was no reason to panic, that everything was already under control, but...”

“That's all?” Yugo replied brightly. “This is going to be a piece of cake! We went there, we saved the world, thank you very much, and then we get showered with hero worship. Cool heh?”

Yugo was struggling to put his new tunic on without removing his hat, which resulted in both getting jammed together.

Adamaï sighed. “If you really expect them to throw flowers at you like that, you're going to be disappointed.”

The Dragon's bitter tone made Yugo wonder if he had understood correctly. He wasn't done with his tunic yet and looked at his brother through the hole meant for his arm.

“What d'you mean? We saved the world once again, didn't we? And we did it without wrecking anyone's kingdom this time. We really deserve all the praise this time around.”

“Well, yes we did, but it's not _that_ simple. Little details bother people, like how we left like thieves in the night with Qilby and Grougal, and how we took the Eliacube with us. And then we come back with stories of treason, fratricidal fights, and while we did save the world, it got threatened because of us.”

The Eliatrope chuckled. “Well of course, if you put it like that, you can make anything sound terrible.”

“Yugo, they're going to put it like that ****… On the other hand, if we stretch the truth a bit, maybe leave out a few details here and there...” Adamaï said meaningfully.

“No.”

“Just a little?”

“The truth will have to do. I'm not lying to the King.”

Adamaï stayed silent for a while, watching with an amused look as his brother finally managed to get his clothing issues sorted.

“I know what's under your hat you know,” he said. “You could have just taken it off.”

“No thanks. That's out of the question.”

“What do you mean?”

“You don't wear clothes bro, you can't understand.”

Shaking his head in amused disbelief, Adamaï absent-mindedly touched the scar over his left eye, and winced with a grimace of pain. The wound obviously hurt quite a lot.

“Are you okay?” Yugo asked worriedly as he walked to his brother.

“Yeah yeah, it's just… it still stings.”

Yugo gently pushed Adamaï's hand aside, getting a good look at the dark blue mark. “Do you think you're going to keep a scar?”

“I wouldn't mind.”

The Eliatrope laughed at that. “Yeah, that will make you look so fierce, Adamaï the Warrior!”

Adamaï sighed sadly. “No, not really... but it will remind me.”

Yugo looked at his brother quizzically. “Remind you? Of what?”

“Of what can happen when trust is given too easily.”

Adamaï was too serious for Yugo to try and joke about it. Instead the Eliatrope sat next to his brother.

“Qilby... what happened with him exactly?”

Adamaï sighed tiredly. “He took me to the Zinit, and then he tried to convince me that it was the destiny of our people to travel the stars, even if we had to destroy entire worlds—this world—to do so. Obviously I wouldn't buy any of his insane nonsense, so we fought, and... I did my best, but still I lost. When I woke up... _something_ was using my body to attack you and Phaeris. It was... it was...”

Adamaï shuddered violently. Yugo couldn't imagine what it must have been like for him to be possessed by the Shushu Anathar. Was Adamaï conscious of the whole thing with Anathar controlling his arms and legs like the limbs of a puppet? Was he screaming the whole time, stuck in a dream he couldn't wake up from?

Yugo put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. He'd do anything to make his brother feel better, if he only knew what it was. Adamaï would often get depressed and sulk over little things, but for once he was surely not overacting.

“But... I don't get it,” Yugo said with a frown. “Why did you follow Qilby to the Zinit in the first place?”

“It wasn't going very well here with Grougal. In fact, it was awful. He kept on lighting people on fire and trying to hunt the royal dragoturkeys. Armand suggested that maybe we could find a better place to raise him. I was feeling down, Qilby took advantage of the situation, and I _trusted_ him. I know I should have been more wary but―”

“You can't blame yourself like that bro,” Yugo cut in, shaking his head firmly. “He fooled everyone, me most of all.”

“Using the Eliacube wasn't your idea, Yugo. It was mine. If I had just left it were it was, none of this would have happened.”

“You never forced me to do anything. I used the Eliacube because I wanted to. And anyway, one day or another the King would have allowed us to use it, and then what? It would have been just the same. The only one responsible is Qilby, not you.”

Adamaï didn't answer. He kept looking sullen, his gaze unfocused. “Maybe. Even if you're right, this isn't the worse just yet.”

“What are you talking about?”

The Dragon turned to face his brother with a grave look.

“The Eliacube. That's the main problem.”

“How's that a problem? It's gone for good, at last.”

“Precisely. And we have only your word to prove it, while everyone and their dragoturkey would love to get their hands on it.”

Yugo raised an eyebrow. “You don't believe me?”

“Of course I do!” Adamaï cried, upset that his brother dared to question his trust. “But it's not me you'll have to convince. They're going to believe that you're keeping it hidden somewhere.”

“Well, I only have the truth to offer. If it doesn't suit them, too bad.”

Yugo got up, quickly putting on his new shorts and shoes, noting that Amalia did put a lot of effort to find the exact same thing he used to wear. He wondered if it wasn't even hand-made for him.

“Now _this_ suits  me. How does it look?”

“I have no advice. I don't understand clothes remember? Besides, you shouldn't take that so lightly.”

“I'm not, clothes are very imp― ...wait, what do you mean?”

“I'm afraid they're going to _demand_ answers, if you catch my meaning.”

Yugo shook his head at that. “No way. They're just going to ask questions and we're going to give them honest answers about everything. The King respects us, and we're guests, not prisoners, so I don't see them trying to force us in any way. Stop worrying so much over little things Adamaï.”

Yugo said those last words with a large grin, trying again to cheer his brother up. It didn't work.

“When you say everything, do you mean like, _everything_?”

That stopped Yugo dead in his tracks. There was only one thing his brother could be talking about, and he wasn't supposed to know just yet.

“I don't see what you're talking about,” Yugo tried without much conviction.

Adamaï laughed at that. “You're so bad at lying, please never try that in front of the King. He'd send us to jail for insulting his intelligence.”

The young Eliatrope scowled so Adamaï tried a more gentle approach.

“All right, I'm sure you understand the problem Yugo,” he said softly. “It's already going to be difficult getting through all the questions. If you let them believe our own King was a murderous psychopath who wanted to let all the Shushus loose into the world before using it as fuel for his spaceship, it's going to be a lot, lot worse. No one will want to deal with the Eliatropes after that. At least the Sadida still see you as a Hero. They respect you. It would be great for the image of our people if you just stepped forward.”

Yugo thought back to the Eliatrope children who had welcomed him in Emrub, looking up at him with so much hope, so much expectation in their eyes. That was too much responsibility, too quick, too soon. He wasn't ready for it yet.

“I haven't decided anything yet. But anyway, how do _you_ know!” Yugo said, much more aggressively than he intended.

“Calm down. Phaeris told me when we were waiting for you back at the Crimson Claws. No one else knows.” Adamaï stopped suddenly. “Hold on. Were you really going to hide this from me? Did you forget I'm your brother somehow?”

Yugo felt his face growing hot. He met his brother's disappointed gaze and a huge pang of shame hit him square in the chest.

“Adamaï I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hide it, I swear, but... I'm not ready for this just yet. I have no idea how to handle it. Please, forgive me.”

The Dragon nodded slowly and stayed silent for a while, thinking it over.

“It's okay. I forgive you,” Adamaï said calmly. Maybe too calmly to be honest, but Yugo didn't catch it. He was too busy being relieved that he had not destroyed their mutual trust so stupidly.

“I understand,” Adamaï continued. “And in your shoes I guess I would have done the same. I understand this is difficult for you, and I don't want to make it any harder. But once again, what are you going to tell the King?”

Yugo scratched the back of his hat for a while. There wasn't that many solutions, and whether he chose to speak out or keep silent, he didn't like it either way.

“I don't know. Can't we just... talk about it later?”

Adamaï chuckled. “Putting things back to tomorrow was never your style, bro. That must be serious for sure.”

“Right now I just want to go see our friends,” Yugo said, trying to change subjects. “What do you say?”

“Sounds good,” Adamaï replied. “And more importantly, we're going to stuff ourselves silly until we explode!”

Az chirped in agreement as the twins headed outside, being as rowdy as ever. On their way out, Yugo glanced at Cra guards in front of their door as Adamaï greeted them politely.

“Royal guards in front of our bedroom, really?” Yugo asked when they were a bit further. “Are they afraid we might run away?”

“No, we're free to come and go as we like. I told you, with all the rumours flying around, everyone's a bit nervous. There's a few extra guards on duty.”

Yugo shrugged, not convinced they were at risk inside the palace. The Sadida Kingdom was already safe, so the palace must surely be the safest place of all.

But as they made their way through the flourished corridors, decorated with enormous live plants, Yugo thought back about the dream he had, and the strange little girl telling him to beware of that impression of security. The horrible vision of the Sadida Kingdom burnt to ashes came back him.

Yugo couldn't just ignore it, because it could very well be true. Yet what was he going to tell the King? Your Highness, please listen to me because I had a nightmare? And what if it was just a dream? Then no one would believe him when something serious was about to happen, and they'd probably just offer him a night light to comfort him.

The boy shook his head and decided to deal with that later. What mattered most was to enjoy the moment with his friends. His father, his brother, everyone he had missed so much was here now. He had every reason to rejoice, and when he realised it, he couldn't restrain himself from grinning sheepishly. Adamaï saw that and cast his brother a curious glance.

“What?” Yugo asked. “It's forbidden to be happy now?”

“I didn't say anything.”

Yugo suddenly shoved his brother into the wall in response. “You thought it! That's just as bad!” he said, laughing.

“Just you wait 'til I catch you!” Adamaï growled.

Using the wall to propel himself forward, the Dragon flew head first right at his brother with all his might, and little care for possible injuries. Thanks to his split second reflexes Yugo avoided him by diving into one of his portals. Quickly, the corridor became a mess, filled with dust, loud noises and laughter.

Yes, it was just a dream.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Far away in the city of Bonta, a man strolled casually down the hall of a lavish estate as though he owned the place. He didn't, and the real owner would not likely be happy to see him, but such was life. His steps made no sound as he climbed the central staircase, or at least none that could be heard over the din of smashing furniture and angry screams from a room somewhere behind him. If they kept that up, someone was bound to hear, but that too was life.

The man wore an elegant outfit made of grey pants and a white shirt, light and functional enough that it wouldn't impair his movement. Along with his messy black hair and bone white skin, only his blue eyes held a speck of colour. Twin sabres crossed behind his back, their sheaths attached to a leather harness, their hilts protruding above his shoulders.

He wasn't sure what would happen if he ran into a guard, but that was the guard's problem. He stopped to notice an expensive three hundred year old painting of fleeting romance in a glade. “It's true,” he noted as he continued on his way, following the floor plan he had memorized earlier. “You can't buy taste with kamas.”

He opened a door at the end of a hallway and walked into an office. The room was even more crowded with bronze sculptures and tacky paintings than the rest of the manor. Its massive windows and massive desk made the pudgy old man sitting at the massive chair look even smaller than he normally would have. He had two ridiculous wings sprouting from behind his back, typical of the Eniripsa healers. They were much too small to lift him.

“Good morning, Greb Merun,” the intruder said warmly.

The old Eniripsa looked up and peered at him over his spectacles. “Who are you? You're not wanted here! Get out.”

“Well that's a friendly hello,” he noted. “I come all this way to meet you, and as soon as I'm here you tell me to get out. I'm afraid I can't comply. And for the sake of this already pleasant conversation, my name is Lucien, for all the good it will do you.”

“We're not having a conversation of any kind, and I told you to get out already. If you can't take the time to make an appointment, I don't have time to talk to you. Now leave or I'll have the guards make you leave.”

“You're welcome to try,” Lucien tempted, sitting down into a soft chair. Ironically, it took more skill and practice to sit back comfortably wearing sabres on your back than it did to wield them. “But I don't think you'll have much luck with that.”

“Oh,” Merun said. His voice grew suddenly calm as understanding struck him. “I see. I know why you're here then, and who sent you, even though I didn't expect your visit that soon. May I take it then, that my guards are dead?”

“You may. Or they nearly are if they aren't already, but I don't deal with those matters personally. I prefer more...subtle approaches.”

“I see. May I say something?”

Lucien sighed. He had seen that before, been there, done that. “Nothing you may say will change my mind. Not that I wouldn't want to consider your request for mercy if it were up to me, but it's not.”

“Oh it's already settled then, is it?” Greb spat, his face contorting in sudden anger. “Then by all means, kill me. Punish me for my sins. I've killed people for my research, but know this, dear Lucien. If I die now, all their deaths will mean nothing. Every child that gets sick and dies, every plague that my research could have saved, that will by on your head. Not mine.”

“That's really fascinating,” Lucien jeered distractedly.

“You're not even listening to me, are you?”

“Oh, I am. You said something about how I should kill you, but I kind of started tuning you out after that. Not that your story isn't interesting, mind you, but it really doesn't matter to me. Anyway, are you done yet? I do have other jobs today.”

The Eniripsa shook his head in disbelief and contempt. “You kill people, yet you're not concerned to know if they really deserved it?”

“That's someone else's problem Greb, not mine. I worry about my own life, and life is so much simpler when you understand your place in the world. Mine, for example, is to do my Master's bidding. It's straightforward, it lets me meet lots of interesting people, and if he wants me to kill you, that's fine, because that's what I'm good at. I know how to kill people, and if you don't know how to die, then make it up as you go along. It's the improvisation that keeps this job interesting. It's the final act of the play. Are you going to die tragically, comically, ironically, violently, heroically, or my personal favourite, ignominiously?”

Merun studied him for a while before answering. “Tragically, if I may. Would you mind if I wrote a few parting words to my family? I'd like to set my affairs in order.”

“By all means,” Lucien replied. “You're welcome to spend the rest of your life on it.”

Merun nodded, opened up his desk drawer, and whipped out a pistol. “So, my dear friend, what do you think of that!” he exclaimed triumphantly. “Is it ironic, tragic, heroic, or...”

His voice trailed off as he pointed his weapon at where his would-be assassin had been sitting, slowly realizing the chair was now empty. The whole room was empty, except for the Eniripsa. But that couldn't be. He couldn't have just vanished into thin air, he couldn't have—

A sharp blade pierced into his back, straight to his heart. “Ironically it is, then,” Lucien whispered in his ear from behind. “Nice last words too. But I'm a professional Sram, and I've done this job more times than I can count. Today just isn't your day, Greb.” He frowned thoughtfully. “Or, more precisely, it is.”

The Eniripsa's eyes bulged, his mouth fell open; he tried to scream but he couldn't make any sound. He blew his last breath before slumping forward onto his desk.

Lucien checked to make sure the target was dead. Not many people could survive being stabbed through the heart, but it never hurt to be certain. He hadn't used his sabres, too heavy for that kind of precision job, but his favourite weapon instead. It was his right-handed leather gauntlet with a five inch long retractable blade. But it wasn't just a regular gauntlet, with its one eye looking back at the Sram with satisfaction.

“So Akula, what did you think of him?” he asked his Shushu.

“Well, not bad,” the demon answered with a suave, feminine voice. “He did talk a lot, but then silencing him was only more enjoyable.”

The Sram wiped the blade on the victim's clothes.

“Perfect. I hope you're in good shape, because we have barely gotten started.”

The Shushu laughed the way demons laugh, the sort of laugh that makes children wake up screaming. “You keep being so nice to me Lucien.”

He smiled easily and finished cleaning the Shushu's blade before retracting it. The door burst open and another man stumbled into the room. He was covered in blood and black tattoos, and his blank, white eyes looked frantic and angry.

“What's up Farkas? I hope the guards didn't give you too much trouble,” Lucien said politely.

“I wouldn't have had any trouble at all if _somebody_ didn't decide to just walk through the front door!”

“I'm sorry. I was certain that we could have talked our way through it.”

“Talked our way through it?” Farkas repeated incredulously. “How is, 'We're here to kill your boss,' at all talking our way through it?”

“I talked, and I got through it,” Lucien replied casually. “I don't know what your problem was. Oh, right, Sacriers can't turn invisible, can you? You can't really do much besides bleed to death anyway. I don't know why I keep on forgetting that. It must have slipped my mind.”

Farkas opened his mouth as if to speak, throbbing with anger. It was easy to confuse Sacriers with Iops, but Lucien learned the difference long ago. While Iops failed to master skills like common sense, Sacriers chafed at the limits of sanity. Would Farkas attacked? Lucien knew he wanted to, and the Sacrier was impulsive by nature. Fighting him would be...inconvenient, even if he won. But no, they would both live to see another day. Farkas went to examine the corpse instead.

“You killed him?”

“Yep.”

The Sacrier examined the body before turning back to Lucien, furious.

“It was supposed to look like an _accident_! What kind of an accident was that supposed to be? Did he slip and impale himself on some sword?”

“I'm sure he died in the same tragic accident that killed all the guards downstairs,” the Sram said flatly.

“But…you can't leave evidence everywhere like that!”

“As a matter of fact, I can. I appear, I kill, I disappear. It's really that simple.”

“And what about me? How do _I_ disappear?”

“You could learn,” Lucien suggested. “Or you could bleed to death. I honestly don't care one way or another.”

“That won't work Lucien! The Master asked us to work together!”

“Oh really? Well, I'm the last person to start questioning the Master's wisdom, and I'm sure that your constant badgering did nothing to influence the Master's decision. I'm sure that he didn't finally give in and let you shadow me just to get you to shut up for a change.”

Farkas face paled as Lucien stepped calmly towards him.

“It's amazing how easy it is to listen to conversations when you're invisible.” the Sram continued. “I know that you're willing to do anything to try and get my spot, and I welcome you to try. But if you get in my way... Well, I'm sure you can figure it out before I give you a good reason to bleed to death.”

Farkas backed away, raising his fists defensively. “You really want it to end that way?”

“I don't. I'd just like you to stay out of my business. Do that, and you will live to be old. If at some point I need to use more convincing arguments, Akula shall deliver.”

From under the Sram's sleeve came the Shushu-blade's distinctive cackling. Then Lucien disappeared like he always did, and there was silence. The Sacrier was almost expecting a knife in his back, but it never came.

“Totally nuts ...” he spat under his breath. Then he remembered he was standing a few feet away from a murder scene, and started running away while he still could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Illustration by the incredible[Pappis](http://pappcave.tumblr.com)_
> 
> _As we all wait for a third season, here comes my modest contribution to the very small yet very nice Wakfu fandom. I can't promise I'll publish new chapters regularly due to unforeseeable professional circumstances, but I'll try my best to deliver. Please feel free to tell whatever you think of it, it was a pleasure making it, it'll be a pleasure sharing it._
> 
> _I would like to warmly thank Slavok for his support, insight and guidance during the writing of this piece. Without him I reckon it wouldn't have gone anywhere. Quite a few paragraphs were actually written using four hands, which made both the making and the result a lot more enjoyable. Thanks mate._
> 
> _What do a Sram and a tax inspector have in common?_


	2. Sweet and bitter

 

“It's so cool, thanks a lot Dad!”

Yugo and Alibert stood inside the Enutrof's apartments. The young Eliatrope looked at his brand new hat in a mirror, pleased to see how it resembled his old one. Az had landed on top of his head, carefully checking how pretty he looked himself. In a corner of the room Chibi slept peacefully in his crib.

“I thought I'd taught you to take better care of your clothes,” Alibert taunted. That made the boy grin as he turned towards his adoptive father. The Enutrof held what was left of the old fox-eared hat in his hands. He sighed with nostalgia as he watched the shredded fabric.

“It's the one you had on the day I found you. Do you realise you could fit inside it whole?”

“No, I can't imagine that at all,” Yugo said, smiling. “It's crazy to think it's the first time I need a new one, after all it went through.”

For the time being, Alibert preferred not to hear about what had actually happened. Ignorance was bliss. Instead he opened his arms wide, inviting Yugo to a hug he could not refuse.

“It's so good to be able to hold you in my arms again, my little piwi. I've missed you so much.”

The Enutrof would never complain, but knowing that his young son often put himself into mortal danger was a permanent ordeal, and Yugo was perfectly aware of that.

“I've missed you too, Dad. I'm sorry you always have to worry that much over me.”

Alibert shook his head and held his son by the shoulders.

“Don't ever apologize for that Yugo. I was perfectly aware of what I could expect from you since the very day I found you. You were never meant to have a quiet life,” Alibert said softly, touching the boy's cheek affectionately. “But there's one thing you can be sure about, son. I'm so very proud of you.”

Yugo found himself lost for words. He snuggled against his father's chest to hide his eyes as they suddenly became a bit too wet.

From the doorstep, Adamaï watched the scene with a certain detachment. Every time he saw Yugo and Alibert together, it would bring him back to his own childhood with Grougaloragran. A childhood just as happy and filled with love as Yugo's had been, even though his own adoptive father hadn't been that much...cuddly. And every time, it would remind him that Grougaloragran was gone, that he would never be there any more to comfort him or tell him how proud he was. Right, Grougal wasn't exactly dead, but the little fury he had become since his rebirth was a poor substitute.

Adamaï wasn't angry at his twin brother, it wasn't his fault after all. Yugo had always been there when the young Dragon needed some cheering up. But he couldn't help himself from feeling jealous when he saw them spending that kind of quality time together. He left to wait in the corridor until they were done.

When Yugo straightened up, his face was suddenly grave.

“Is something wrong son?” Alibert asked.

“No I'm all right, don't worry. I just… I have something to tell you. Something important. And I don't want you to learn about it from someone else than me.”

“Very well son... I'm all ears.”

Yugo found all the courage he needed in his father's eyes. There he could see that Alibert would hear anything, understand anything, and accept anything. His father would still love him no matter what. Yugo was convinced it would make his burden lighter, and most of all he didn't want to repeat the mistake he had made with Adamaï earlier.

He took a deep breath before speaking, then he told everything. How Qilby had betrayed them, how Phaeris had told him the terrifying truth in the middle of the chaos. When he was done, Alibert just nodded and stayed silent for a while. If he was shaken by the news of how his little boy turned out to be the King of his people, he didn't show it.

“And how do you feel about it?” he finally asked.

“Honestly? I'm scared to death. I don't think I'll be up to the task Dad. I could see it in their eyes, they're all expecting me to do great, but I don't even know where to start.”

“I see. Well son, if there's one thing I know, it's that fear has never driven anyone forward, only backwards. I know you'll make a great King of the Eliatropes.”

“How can you be so sure of that? Even I have no idea about what I'm supposed to do.”

“Because you already have what's most important: courage, and compassion. The rest will come by itself. And it's not like your people are coming back tomorrow. You have years to prepare, so don't worry about it yet.”

Alibert paused thoughtfully. “You'll need a proper education though. Apart from reading and writing, there's only so much I could teach you.”

Yugo chuckled. “What, you mean I have to go to school? No way.”

“Well, you'll need a tutor at least... but that can wait for now. Right now I still have some work to do for our lunch, and I could use your help.”

“Of course Dad,” Yugo said cheerfully, grinning from ear to ear.

He felt like a weight had left his heart, but most of all he was relieved to see his adoptive father still considered him as 'son' and not 'your Highness'. He definitely didn't feel like being an 'Highness' just yet, the mere thought of it giving him shudders.

Yugo wanted to do anything he could to continue living his old life, if only for just a bit longer, and preparing a meal with his dad felt so much like the good old times he missed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Lucien stared absent-mindedly at the corpse of his latest target laying down on the pavement of a dark, narrow street, wiping his Shushu blade over the victim's clothes as usual.

The Sram didn't have any pity or regrets, but it was not because that little Ecaflip banker deserved what had happened to him.

Lucien just didn't care any more.

That man had hired hitmen to hunt down his wife when he thought she had cheated on him, before using his wealth to corrupt the guards so they would turn a blind eye on his crime. Even at Bonta, the city of Justice, rich and powerful people would often escape their due punishment. That was Lucien's duty to correct those mistakes, with the same outcome for everyone: death.

After checking that everything was in order, the Sram hurried to disappear. He had no fear about being disturbed by some onlooker; he could get invisible at will after all. He only wanted to avoid another row with Farkas, if the stubborn Sacrier had not yet understood it was better for him to step aside.

Lucien was ahead of schedule and had time for a break. Small streets quickly led him to bigger, more crowded avenues, then finally to the large harbour of Bonta. He found a bench where he could sit alone, except for the few seagulls that were fluttering around. He sighed heavily, his gaze lost into the blue immensity before him.

“What's up? My little Lulu's feeling down?” Akula taunted from under his sleeve.

The Sram took off his gauntlet and put it on the bench right next to him, so the Shushu could see what was going on.

“No, I'm just... tired. More and more I realise it doesn't matter how many of those bastards we kill. There's always more. It's endless.”

“I'd rather say it's a good thing. Otherwise, what would we do? Killing is the only thing I like, and it's the only thing you know.”

Lucien looked at his Shushu fondly. They had shared years of adventures, and countless murders. For that the Shushu Lady could consider herself lucky. Most of the Shushus ended up with a boring Iop that would prevent them from doing any harm.

But Lucien had found her by accident, and since they were together she had never tried to escape or coerce her guardian into freeing her. She was having too much fun for that, even stuck inside her prison-object. As for the Sram, that gave him both a useful murdering tool, and the only company he could tolerate.

“Of course you're right,” Lucien continued. “It's just... we've been doing it for years, the Guild for centuries even, and there's hardly any change. We're trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon. Too many crooks to eliminate, and they keep multiplying. Even here in Bonta, I feel it's actually worse. It's the same corruption we have in Brakmar, but they do their best to hide it. If we want to achieve anything... maybe we should go for more radical solutions.”

The Shushu held her one eye wide open, visibly worried. “Eh… I'm not sure I like what I'm hearing. What do you mean exactly?”

Lucien frowned thoughtfully before he spoke. “Instead of killing crooks one by one, what if we just burned the whole system to the ground? I mean, not literally but... governments, law, the society that breeds and protects these awful people, just plain gone. What if all the innocent and honest people left suddenly revolted against those who enslave them? Even if it caused a bit of collateral damage, the outcome can't be worse than what we have now. It will clean off the corruption, and we can always rebuild something better from the ashes.”

“A _bit_ of collateral damage?”

“Alright, maybe a lot. But maybe it would be worth it in the end. Maybe we need a fresh start.”

There was an awkward silence before Akula sighed. “Any other Shushu would agree with you. Burning and destroying is quite the program they'd like.”

“But you don't?”

“Of course not! My thing is to kill people, and if I want to keep doing it for a long time, we need to manage the resource, give it enough time to breed _._ Otherwise what's the point? If you destroy all our targets right at the source, there's nothing left to do and only endless boredom left. My brothers are too retarded to understand that kind of logic.”

The Sram thought it over in silence for a while. A seagull landed on the bench next to them, screeching loudly.

“That's funny, I thought killing was your thing too,” Akula pointed.

“I've never found it amusing. When we started, I felt like I was being useful. I thought our targets had it coming after what they'd done. But now I feel it's mostly useless. There will be always more and more bastards to kill, because it's in the human nature.”

“And with your _solution_ , you're not afraid to kill some good people in the process?”

“Of course, but what is the chance of that? On average, people are terrible.”

“Shushus are much worse,” Akula observed.

“It's your goal to be evil. Humans are _supposed_ to be better than that.”

After pecking at a few crumbs, the seagull advanced towards Akula. She cast the bird such a menacing stare that it flew away. “How would you do that anyway?” she asked.

“The Guild has more than enough resources for that. Sleeper agents everywhere, inside every government. If we wanted to make the nations fight each other, until there's not a single soldier left to keep the people suppressed, we could. All it takes to start a good war is a few key assassinations, and some made up intelligence to accuse people who didn't do anything.”

“The Master would never agree with your ideas though.”

Lucien shrugged. “Of course he won't. The Guild is supposed to keep the system going, not destroy it, and he is very loyal to our principles. That's just some… disillusioned ramblings I was having.”

“Nope, you're not going to change the world today my Lulu,” Akula concluded. “And most importantly, we're going to miss our rendezvous with the next target if we stay here any longer.”

The Sram took a lung full of fresh ocean air before getting up, retrieving his Shushu.

“You're right. There's no point going on about that. The most efficient solution I have to my problems is still you.”

“You're flattering me. Let's go kill another scum bag, it'll cheer you up!”

_If only_ , Lucien thought.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

A large dining room bathed in the blazing sunlight that poured in through the tall windows, surrounded by Sadida decorations of vines, leaves and flowers. A table almost giving in under the weight of a mountain of food, steak, rolls, cake, each plate more appetizing than the last. And most of all, all his friends assembled, smiling and in good shape.

Yugo's only concern was to choose whom he would rush at and hug first. He settled for Tristepin, noticing that for the occasion the Ginger Knight had conceded to put on a shirt.

“Nice to see you buddy!” the Iop said cheerfully, hugging him back. “We were starting to think you were dead.”

“I can't believe Alibert raised such a big sloth,” Ruel added while affectionately putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. Unlike Tristepin, the old man looked as shabby as ever.

“Always the kind word, huh?”, Yugo said with a wink. Then he turned towards Evangelyne, but he didn't move.

“What's wrong?” she asked. “I don't deserve a hug?”

“I wouldn't want to hurt you. How's your arm?”

“Perfectly healed. The Eniripsas here have done miracles. So are you going to hug me or not?”

“Of course,” Yugo said, positively beaming. He moved to hold the young woman in his arms as she patted the top of his hat gently.

“And how about you?” Evangelyne asked.

“Feeling great! But I'm so hungry right now.”

A horrible growling noise from his empty stomach confirmed that.

“I can fix that,” Alibert pointed. “We're still waiting for Amalia though.”

“Oh that's right,” Yugo said, smiling mischievously. “I knew we were missing someone since nobody was complaining. I suppose she's already turned back into Princess Whi― Ouch!”

He was suddenly interrupted and yelped in pain as someone grabbed his ear from behind and pulled on it harshly.

“Princess what?” asked a voice he knew only too well.

“Princess Wonderful. I was going to say Princess Wonderful. Let me go now. Please?”

“Hmm. That will do. I shall disregard the royal outrage _this_ time,” Amalia said with her best snobbish tone. She managed to keep her face straight as the boy rubbed his aching ear pitifully, casting her a dark glance.

“I'm very happy to see you too,” he grumbled. “Hold on, we're also missing Grougal and Phaeris aren't we?”

Yugo immediately regretted asking when he saw the bothered look on everyone's face.

“What? Something happened to them?” he asked, immediately worried.

“Nothing bad, don't panic,” Adamaï answered. “It's just that _some_ people in the court, well...”

“...need to learn that 'overgrown lizard' isn't something you should call a Dragon that's been around for millennia,” Amalia concluded.

Yugo stared at her open-mouthed for a moment. “Wow... your brother really said that to Phaeris, and _lived_?”

Yugo had dealt with Prince Armand before, and while he was never a fierce supporter of the Eliatrope cause, he always seemed to at least respect them.

“Of course Armand didn't say that to his face,” Amalia corrected. “They argued for hours about some logistics issue no one else really cared about. Armand lost patience, then he muttered something under his breath, and found out that Dragons have _really,_ really good hearing.” Amalia sighed. “I know my brother is only looking out for our people, but he seriously needs to mellow out. Things are getting out of hand.”

“After what happened with Qilby, I can't blame him for being wary,” Adamaï admitted. “But still, Phaeris being Phaeris, he couldn't stand that, and he left with Grougal. They'll find a good place to stay at, away from civilization, and then he's supposed to send us some kind of message so we can meet over there.”

Yugo sighed sadly. “That's bad. He has a lot to tell us. I couldn't wait to hear all the stories about our people.”

“Well, I guess it will have to wait bro,” Adamaï said with a compassionate smile.

“While lunch cannot!” Alibert inserted cheerfully. “Come on, get seated before everything gets cold.”

The others had barely reached their chair when Yugo almost jumped at the pile of food to help himself.

“Yugo, your manners,” Alibert warned severely.

The boy sat back, blushing when he realised his father had corrected him in front of everyone. “Sorry Dad... I'm just too hungry.”

“It shouldn't prevent you from acting civilized, and―”

“It's okay Alibert,” Evangelyne interrupted. “We didn't get to meet that much civilized people lately, that's why. It feels like years since I've sat at such a decent table.”

Yugo stared wide-eyed at the person who had dared contradict the holy parental authority. But Eva had spoken gently enough that Alibert didn't answer and just smiled back at her instead. As a result, the boy was utterly bewildered.

The lunch went on in a cheerful atmosphere. Most of discussion was occupied by Tristepin and Ruel, the first recounting his actual feats at the Crimson Claws, the latter inventing his own on the fly. But they had travelled with the old Enutrof for too long to believe anything he said, and Evangelyne and Amalia gave him dirty looks the whole time.

“And then with Rubi, we took on Rushu with the greatest surprise attack ever!” Tristepin shouted, flailing his arms wildly and sending food from his full mouth everywhere.

“Oh that you did,” his Shushu sword Rubilax sneered. “Just to be sure, that's the moment when you shouted at him so he knew perfectly well we were there?”

“Exactly! He never expected that, so he was surprised!”

“I see,” Ruel jeered. “Sir Tristepin is such a fine strategist.”

“This is Iop philology, you can't understand.”

Even though Yugo laughed heartily at their antics, he didn't take part in the conversation and kept to himself, minding his own plate. If he joined in, his friends would ask him questions he couldn't answer. Next to him, Evangelyne finally noticed his unusually quiet attitude and put her hand on his arm to get his attention.

“What's up Yugo?” she whispered. “Is something wrong?”

“I'm fine,” he replied with the most innocent look he could muster.

“Of course. That's why you're pretending to be invisible?” Yugo grinned back at her sheepishly, and Evangelyne laughed.

“It's okay,” she said. “You don't have to talk about what happened back there if you don't want to.”

The boy was surprised that Evangelyne would understand the problem so easily. But then, how many months had they spent adventuring together? Evangelyne had always been the responsible member of the team, the voice of caution in a world of danger and excitement. Even after the danger had passed, it made sense that she would still be looking out for him. The only sign that gave him away was his attitude, more introverted than usual, but then she had acted the same way after Tristepin died.

“Okay, here's what we can do,” she whispered. “If someone tries to bother you, I'll send them my Meaningful Stare of Death to tell them to back off. I'll be _your_ bodyguard for once. How does that sound?”

Yugo chuckled. He had already found himself on the receiving end of Eva's Meaningful Stare of Death. It was serious business. Serious enough to make him feel safe.

“Sounds great,” he admitted. “But now you're my bodyguard, does that mean I can be as annoying as Amalia?”

“Don't even think about it, little brat”, Evangelyne retorted with a smirk.

Yugo made an effort to loosen himself up, and he was relieved to see that didn't attract him any more attention. Either he was lucky, or Evangelyne's aura of seriousness was enough to protect him. Even if he did talk to his companions, they still behaved like he never left them to wage his own personal war in another dimension against the traitor of his people.

But as Yugo stopped focusing solely on his plate, he noticed that Adamaï didn't look very cheerful either. The Dragon kept his gaze unfocused, eating in silence, and Yugo was suddenly worried that his brother was delving in his darkest memories of the previous days.

“You're okay bro?” he asked cautiously.

“I'll be better when this whole business is settled.”

Taken aback, Yugo raised an eyebrow. “What business? What are you talking about?”

“Well, the council, the questioning, all that boring stuff we're in for.”

“Oh! Yes, that.”

Adamaï stared at his brother curiously. “What were _you_ talking about?”

“Nothing, nothing at all.”

Facing the puzzled look of the Dragon, Yugo ignored him and pretended to be suddenly interested in Pinpin's heroic exploits. If Adamaï had already moved on, then there was no need to dig anything up.

“I was ready to massacre Rushu all by myself, one on one,” Tristepin told excitedly. “But at the last moment, my Master did something crazy!”

Amalia yawned. “He charged right at him?”

“He charged right at... hey, how did you guess?”

“Iops...” she muttered, with a face palm for good measure.

“Anyway, it was so heroic! And then he grabbed Rushu and took him right inside that Zaap stuff so he could finish him off, in that scum's own world... dimension... thingy, whatever, because otherwise there's just no challenge at all. Master Goultard is so strong, he's going to show him what Iops have in their heads!”

Tristepin raised his fist in the air one last time, then suddenly fell silent, the excitement on his face quickly dying off.

“And... after that?” Yugo offered.

“After that, I have no idea,” the Iop concluded, sighing sadly. “He hasn't made it back yet.”

“Don't worry,” Evangelyne replied kindly, trying to comfort him. “He's a god right? I'm sure he'll manage to―”

She was interrupted as the doors abruptly opened on Prince Armand.

“I'm dearly sorry to interrupt,” Prince Armand said, bowing stiffly. “But the Council is assembled, and we would like to commence as soon as possible. Adamaï, Yugo, if you would please come this way.”

Even though he tried to be polite, his tone made it clear that they didn't have much of a choice.

“But we haven't even finished the dessert!” Adamaï cried angrily.

“Adamaï, please. We're coming,” Yugo said as he got up quickly. He patted his belly, satisfied to see that it was filled enough. Az landed back into his front pocket, and his brother followed reluctantly, grumbling under his breath as Yugo apologized for leaving his friends so abruptly.

“You're sure you'll be all right?” Evangelyne asked.

“Yeah, there's nothing to worry about. Are you coming too, Amalia?”

The Princess cast a dark glance at Armand. “No, I'm not invited. Apparently _some_ people seem to think I'm too close to you to be impartial. That it would be a conflict of interest or something.”

Yugo looked up at the prince, who only answered him with a stern gaze.

“Oh… well, okay. Catch you all later then?”

“Of course. Good luck!” Evangelyne said with a warm smile. The archer knew Prince Armand very well and commiserated with the twins who were going to spend a few hours in his charming company. He was a good person inside, but his permanent concern over the security of the Sadida Kingdom left him rash and stubborn.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Armand guided them through the palace corridors, walking a few feet ahead of the two brothers. Az was fluttering around while Adamaï whispered furiously, hissing like an enraged snake.

“Who does he think he _is,_ bossing us around like that?”

Yugo shrugged, trying to deflect the aggressivity of his brother. “I don't know, maybe the crowned Prince of the Sadida Kingdom? Come on, you're the one who told me it was not going to be easy. There's no point to make it even worse right?”

“But they _owe_ us more respect than that!” the little Dragon raged. “We saved their hide, _twice_ , and still they treat us like their _servants_. They never trusted you with the Dofus and the Eliacube, and they're doing the same thing all over again! Really you should put an end to that nonsense, you just need to tell them you're the K―”

“Yeah yeah, I got that all right,” Yugo cut in quickly. “It's not the solution. For now we have to cooperate. How come you're so worked up about it bro?”

Adamaï shrugged. “Cooperate, sure, I can cooperate just fine. But I'll grovel before them when Tofus grow teeth.”

“That's not what I'm saying,” Yugo whispered. He sighed, tired by his brother's constant negativity. “When you attended that diplomatic council thing, Amalia's father was pretty much the only person openly supporting the return of our people, right?”

“You could say that. It felt like all the others wished we didn't even exist but yes, Oakheart was supportive enough.”

“Then it needs to stay that way. That's important if we want our people to return somehow. Without any help it won't be possible. Only the Sadida are willing to give us some land to settle on, and they will make sure we don't starve before we get independent. So if you don't do it for them, please do it for me. For our people.”

At that moment Yugo realised he was behaving like the King he was supposed to be more easily than he had expected. But what he had said gave Adamaï a bothered look he didn't expect.

“What's up now?” Yugo asked curtly, slightly irritated.

“Well... let's just say that Phaeris may have a different take on the matter.”

“What do you mean?”

The Dragon paused, obviously trying to pick his words carefully. “He's not gone to find some cosy cavern just for him and Grougal. He's trying to find the right place to settle our entire people. He's looking for a deserted island somewhere, big enough to offer space and food for all of us. And most of all, far away from everything and everyone else.”

Yugo stopped on the spot, mouth open, too taken aback to say anything. Adamaï looked at him with concern, and Armand looked at both of them curiously.

“Is there something wrong?” the Prince asked. “Maybe I shall give you a moment to discuss those pressing matters of yours in private?”

“No―” Adamaï started.

“Yes,” Yugo cut in. “Please.”

“Very well. I shall be awaiting for you at the next corner, so you don't get lost. But by all means, please try to be quick. The Council is already waiting.”

“We won't be long.”

Armand nodded respectfully before disappearing. Yugo glared silently at his brother while surprise, confusion, and anger battled in his mind. He barely noticed Az passing between them, looking cautiously from one to the other.

“Look, I knew you wouldn't take it well,” Adamaï said cautiously. “I tried to tell Phaeris to wait until he could discuss it with you before doing anything. But it didn't work out with the court here, especially with Armand, so he just disregarded what I said and he left.”

“But why?” Yugo protested. “He's supposed to be the wisest of us all. How come he already turned down the _only support we have!”_

“Well, maybe because he _is_ the wisest of us all. He's convinced the humans are egoistical, corrupted, only concerned by power and wealth, so why even try dealing with them? We're just wasting our time staying here. They will fear us and consider us as enemies, no matter what we say, no matter how many times we save the world.”

“The Sadida aren't like that,” Yugo said stubbornly.

“The Sadida are isolated. Even their Cra allies would like to see us gone. When it creates tension between them and their allies, you can be sure the Sadida will dump us the first chance they get. That's why Phaeris doesn't want to take any chances, not when the survival of our people is at stake.”

“And you agree with him?”

Adamaï stared at his brother with a pained look on his face, but he said nothing. Yugo understood the reason immediately. Either Adamaï could be honest, and it would hurt him, or he could lie, and it would hurt him too. There was no point to say anything either way.

“So,” Yugo continued, trying his best to keep his voice steady. “Why are you still here then? Why didn't you just leave with Phaeris if you're convinced it's so pointless to stay?”

It was Adamaï's turn to get hurt, and Yugo immediately regretted his words when he felt his brother's bitter disappointment overflow through their mind link. The boy realised Adamaï had likely felt how bothered he was from the beginning. Exchanging blows like that was useless, they were so emotionally connected that hurting their brother actually meant hurting themselves anyway.

But Yugo couldn't take back his words, even if he dearly wanted to.

“I stayed for you,” Adamaï said, avoiding his brother's gaze. “I thought you would have figured it out by yourself.”

“I know,” Yugo said softly. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that.”

Adamaï nodded and smiled weakly. “I know you didn't. It's all right,” he said. “It's so pointless to get mad at each other, you know? We only make ourselves feel terrible. I understand you only said that because you were angry about us deciding without you. But I'm kinda caught in the middle there, you have to understand that too.”

“Yes, I do,” Yugo answered, putting both his hands on his brother's shoulders. “We have to try though, Adamaï. We have to give it our best shot. Maybe we'll fail and they'll still see us as dangerous off-world strangers, but I won't forgive myself if we don't even try. Even if it's not wise and I'm probably stupid to think there's any hope, I don't want to give up just like that. Are you with me?”

The Dragon shook his head in amused disbelief. “That's funny, Phaeris predicted you would react exactly like that. Apparently in our previous lives, you were already that stubborn.”

“You didn't answer. Are you with me?”

Adamaï looked at his brother straight in the eyes, and Yugo knew the answer before he said anything. “I'm with you. I'd follow you to the end of the world, just because you always manage to put yourself in the most dangerous situations and that's where all the fun is. I'd follow you through _fire and flames_ , because no matter how many stupid things you manage to say, you're still my damn _brother_.”

Yugo smiled warmly. “Thanks. That means a lot.”

“And also because I'm immune to fire and flames.”

“Oh. Well, I guess that'll have to do.”

They smiled sheepishly at each other for a moment, and Yugo realised how dearly he had missed his brother over the past months they had spent separated. Even though Adamaï had his own little angry character and could get extremely annoying at times, the young Eliatrope knew there was no one in the world he could rely on more than his Dragon of a brother.

“Anyway, before we skip to the fun part, there's still that council business to deal with,” Yugo said with a sigh. “Armand is waiting for us.”

As the twins went towards the Prince, closely followed by Az, Adamaï started grumbling again. “I'd take any nasty monster available over that, any time.”

“Don't say that, it's not our trial we're headed to. They'll ask questions, we'll answer honestly, and we'll try our best to make a good impression. Easy enough, isn't it?”

“Sure. I'll just mark those words, so I can rub your face into them later on.”

“Also, if you want to make a good impression of yourself, shutting up is likely the best thing you can do.”

Before he even completed that sentence, Yugo's hand was already glowing in a bright blue light from the portal he was about to create to escape the wrath of his brother.

Prince Armand waited patiently a few corridors ahead. Even though he wasn't often surprised by anything, he had to raise an eyebrow when instead of the two people he was waiting for, he saw a streak of white chasing a streak of blue, both coming towards him at alarming speeds. The Sadida kept as still as a tree when they merged and crashed loudly to the ground, skidding until they stopped right at his feet.

“Is everything all right?” he asked politely, looking down at the two brothers still wrestling on the floor. “When I left you I imagined you would have a pleasant brother talk, not a brawl.”

“Yeah, no big deal,” Yugo answered, his voice rasping as Adamaï held to his neck, pressing his arm against the boy's throat. “This is actually the way we―Ouch!” he yelped when a sharp elbow struck him in the ribs, producing a nasty cracking noise. In immediate response there was a bright flash of blue light, a thundering sound, and Adamaï was abruptly sent flying against the wall.

“Okay, stop now,” Yugo commanded as he raised his hand, slightly out of breath. “We'll finish that later.”

“You bet!” Adamaï said with a mischievous grin.

The young Eliatrope got to his feet and wiped the dust off his clothes. Then he looked up at Armand, who was still looking slightly puzzled.

“Um, we're ready.”

“Good. Please, follow me then.”

The little group quickly arrived in front of a large double door flanked by several Sadida guards. It opened, and Armand invited the two brothers to step inside.

“Yeah, right,” Adamaï sneered, looking inside. “'Not a trial.' They have a judge and jury, and an executioner in the next room for all we know, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about.”

The usual Sadida decoration made of vines, leaves and spectacular flowers did little to hide the true purpose of the large room indeed. A round tribune circled the whole space, with two little chairs in the middle that were obviously intended for them. The two dozen people who sat there turned their gaze to the twins as one, and among them Yugo could recognize only a very few faces; King Sheran Sharm, Chamberlain Thicktuft, Master Joris, and surprisingly the Cra Matriarch Beranziah were there. The young Eliatrope had only met her quickly when they prepared the battle against Nox, and he had no idea why she and a few other Cra were present, but it surely meant that the situation was more serious than he thought.

It was obviously not going to be the cakewalk he had hoped for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Illustration by the magnificent[Pappis](http://pappcave.tumblr.com)_
> 
> _I'd like to thank everybody for the nice support, reviews, pms, etc. It's a great motivation to move forward. Keep telling me what you think of it! It's the only way I'm ever going to know._
> 
> _In the meantime Slavok added a new chapter to his own story, Worthy of the Crown. If you didn't check it out already, you should definitely do so, it does a great job of filling that void after the second season with a whole new adventure that's well written, well planned, original and very respectful of those characters we like._
> 
> _Ankama announced some very nice plans for the future of the Brotherhood of the Tofu, namely a trilogy of forty-five minutes OVAs somewhere into the next year. No sidetracks, only the main plot, so that's definitely something to look for._
> 
> _What came first, the Dofus, or the Dragon?_


	3. The council

At that moment, Yugo thought that all the battles he had fought so far had been easier, quicker, and less painful than this one.

The young Eliatrope had been sitting on an uncomfortable chair for hours, enduring a constant barrage of questions. It was difficult for him to tell a full sentence of his story without being interrupted by someone asking for more seemingly useless details. Fortunately, Adamaï was doing his best to keep his temper under control, just like he had promised. Having to bear with his constant feeling of anger flowing over their mind link would have been just too much for Yugo. He already had enough trouble dealing with that dull headache of his own.

And on top of that, there was Armand, pacing around them. Surely he wasn't being unnerving on purpose, but Yugo wished he would just sit down instead.

Each time Yugo looked around at the people facing them, he saw mostly closed faces and gazes full of distrust and contempt. Only the Sadida King Sheran Sharm looked a bit more encouraging, but Yugo didn't want to stare only at him, in a futile effort to be polite to the others. Also Chamberlain Thicktuft and Master Joris didn't look hostile either, but to be fair it was impossible to see their faces.

When it was Adamaï's turn to tell about the events at the Zinit, it gave Yugo a little break. He used the occasion to check if Az was all right. The little Tofu was resting in his front pocket as usual. When Yugo gently petted the soft feathers ball, Az glanced up at him with such a miserable look that it almost made the boy laugh out loud.

“It's useless to look at me like that,” he whispered. “I can't help it. Don't worry, we're almost done.”

'Almost' was a relative term. The council wanted a staggering amount of details about the Zinit, interrupting Adamaï's storytelling all the time. And while the dragon was trying his best to keep a neutral tone, the air he was breathing out was getting more blurred every second, a sure sign he was slowly losing his temper.

Yugo drew a longing look outside the windows to the forest outside, seeing that the afternoon was well advanced and the sun already sinking towards the horizon. He hated being stuck indoors on such a sunny day, and he could only hope they would be freed quickly.

After Adamaï had recounted his own fight against Qilby, one of the Cra officials started asking questions for the first time. He was slightly aged, wore a fancy uniform that didn't seem meant for the battlefield, and didn't look friendly at all. “You say you managed to transform into the most powerful creature you ever became. Was it the first time you did something of the like?”

“No,” Adamaï answered flatly. “The first time was when Nox froze the time and tried to kill my brother. But it was a much lesser form back then.”

“What was it like this time? Was it your adult dragon form?”

“It was a giant crackler. A stone golem if you prefer.”

“And you say you don't know how you did that. But it happened just as Qilby knocked out Grougaloragran, didn't it? Don't you think that this great power naturally came to you when you saw one of your kin suffering before your eyes?”

Yugo stared open-mouthed at the man who dared ask such an inconsiderate question in such a blunt way. He could feel Adamaï's anger flare. The dragon breathed out black smoke by his nostrils.

“It's very likely,” he spat through gritted teeth.

“Do you think you could do it again under the same circumstances?”

“Master Galdir!”, King Sheran Sharm interrupted. “This question is irrelevant, and well outside the boundaries of what I would deem acceptable for this council. You should show a bit more consideration for our _guests_.”

The Cra glared at him, and leaned back on his seat. “Quite the opposite, your Majesty. This question is perfectly relevant as we'll have to decide what to do with them after this audience is over. It might be an issue if this white creature here can turn into a deadly, rampaging beast when it believes itself or its relatives are being threatened.”

“Just you try,” Adamaï growled menacingly. “Just you try to touch an hair of Yugo and 'it' is going to annihilate everyone in the room. And believe me, I won't have to change into anything more scary just to deal with petty little humans like you.”

The Sadida guards were already fingering their weapons. The tension in the air was dense enough that one could cut through it with a knife.

“Enough!” the King shouted. “This is not the time and place to display such behaviour. I would like everyone to keep his temper under control. And I would also like to remind the council that we have in front of us two _children_ who have recently met daunting challenges. This is not a decent way to treat them.”

“As you see fit, your _Majesty_ ”, Galdir said wryly. The Cra flashed a snide little smirk at them, and Yugo realised he had got exactly what he wanted: to make Adamaï appear like a dangerous monster to the rest of the council, with a power much larger than his ability to keep it under control.

“Please carry on, Master Adamaï,” the King invited.

“I was done anyway,” the dragon retorted curtly.

“You told something very interesting earlier about being possessed by a Shushu named Anathar,” Prince Armand noted as he stood right next to the twins.

“I did,” Adamaï answered flatly, looking up at him. “But I wasn't conscious when it happened. I have no memory of that. Only Yugo can tell what was going on at that moment.”

Even though it was a lie, Yugo couldn't blame his brother if he didn't want to discuss it. Especially when the Eliatrope considered the harsh questions that kept coming their way. If the risk was to see Adamaï lose control, it was really not worth it.

So Yugo took over the storytelling where he left it, as the Brotherhood of the Tofu approached the Crimson Claws. Strangely enough the council didn't interrupt him as much this time, maybe in fear of Adamaï's reaction if they did. As a result Yugo quickly managed to cover their encounter with the New Sufokian navy, his own fight against Qilby, and his visit of Emrub.

When he reached the end and fell silent, the members of the council exchanged incredulous looks and undistinguishable mutterings, and Yugo felt his heart sink as he realised Adamaï had been right from the start.

_They don't believe a word of what I said_ , he realised. Not because his story was difficult to comprehend, but because they had decided so before he even got started.

“I'd just wish to make perfectly sure we understand what you are telling us here,” the Cra Matriarch began. “You went into an extra-dimensional sanctuary that no one ever saw, there you met a dragon that no one knows about, and you hid the most powerful artefact of your people in there, to keep it safe until your people returns. Is that correct?”

“Yes, it is,” Yugo answered. He tried his best to keep his head high, his gaze steady and his voice clear.

“Do you have any proof of that?” another Cra woman continued. She wore a high-ranking military uniform even though she looked rather young. “Do you have any material element to present before us, anything besides your word that would prove the Eliacube is there, out of your reach, and you're not keeping it hidden somewhere in our world so you can use it later?”

“No, I don't.”

“How _fortunate_ ,” sneered the Cra named Galdir. Taking verbal fire from all directions at once was quickly becoming disorientating for Yugo. They hardly left him any time to think his answers through. “Please forgive my bluntness, Master Eliatrope, but you really thought you could just come here before us, recite your tofu and gobball stories, and expect us to believe them?”

“I didn't, but―”

“That was a rhetorical question,” the Cra snapped.

Yugo tried to stay calm, which was increasingly difficult as he felt Adamaï positively boiling right beside him. He met Galdir's gaze, and he could see a lot of hatred there, that he had trouble to understand. What in the world had he done to justify such a strong aversion?

Yugo stood up from his chair, frowned, and cast a cold glance at everyone in front of him before continuing. “I didn't expect you to believe anything I said,” he admitted calmly. “Adamaï told me you wouldn't, but I was naive enough to try anyway. I don't have anything better to give you than my word. I thought the truth would be enough.”

“The truth would have been sufficient,” the Cra Matriarch retorted. “But without anything to back it up, you're being very presumptuous to call it the truth.”

Yugo had nothing to answer to that, but Adamaï did, on an much more heated tone. “Yugo didn't hesitate to put his own life on the line to save us all! All he asks in return is that you just listen to him! When he was busy saving the world, of course he didn't take the time to get you a little souvenir.”

“The world that was threatened by your people to begin with,” a Sadida official chimed in. “And by the Eliatrope artefact which was kept safe by my men, until you stole it.” King Sheran Sharm cast him a dark glance but the man didn't even blink.

“It wasn't our fault,” Yugo answered. “We didn't know we would free Qilby when we used the Eliacube, and even if we did, no one ever suspected he was a traitor.”

“That's exactly my point. Even though you two were only a tool for him, your King tried to destroy us all. How can you still pretend to be a peaceful people with friendly motives after such a thing?”

“Qilby wasn't...”

Yugo hesitated. He couldn't bring himself to say the word. He felt Adamaï just behind him, thinking _'Say it! Say it!'_ as hard as he could, so hard Yugo could almost hear him in his own head.

“...sane. He was blessed with infinite memory, but in the end it became his curse. He couldn't forget anything and it drove him mad.”

“He tried to destroy the world with a plan that clearly required intelligence and cunning to conceive. Which would indicate that he was _not_ mad, but rather that he considered we didn't deserve to live. Surely we weren't interesting enough for his superior mind?”

_So that's why_ ,Yugo thought. Qilby had damaged their reputation beyond repair, and that was the reason for the hatred that filled the room. The boy didn't even try to tell them that he loved this world and would do anything to defend it. What was the point anyway? The whole discussion felt like he was repeatedly hitting a stone wall, achieving nothing apart from hurting himself.

But the Sadida official pressed on, maybe interpreting Yugo's silence as a sign of weakness. “And even better, every last one of you is powerful enough to do the same. As far as _we_ know, the Eliacube is still on the loose. Seeing how the return of your people is still an open matter, how reassuring is that?”

“General Torrac, that's enough,” the King interrupted firmly. Yugo cast him a grateful look for his timely intervention. “The point of the council was to hear about the recent events, and we already heard everything there was to say. Who's to blame is not the subject today, and the return of the Eliatropes is another matter altogether. On that the Sadida Kingdom has already stated its position, and I didn't change my mind. So unless someone has something relevant to add, I suggest it's time to bring this council to a close.”

His proposition was met with silence, only a few glances were exchanged.

“Right,” the King concluded as he rose from his chair. “The council is dismissed.”

The twins looked at each other, letting out a deep sigh of relief at the same time. Everyone got up and started to move out, but as the two brothers were doing the same, the King called from across the room.

“Yugo? If you're not in a hurry, I would like to have a word with you.”

“Yes, of course your Majesty.”

Yugo sat back on his chair, and Adamaï didn't move. The King smiled kindly at the dragon. “In private, Master Adamaï, if you please.”

“What you can say to Yugo, you can say to me,” he answered flatly.

“I'm aware of that, but this is a particular matter I wish to discuss with Yugo alone.”

Before Adamaï could argue, his brother turned towards him. “I'll be fine Ad', don't worry. I'll catch you later.”

Adamaï cast his brother a dark glance that clearly meant ' _I don't like when you're being more important than me_ ', but he didn't insist. Without a word, he just turned his back on them and left. As Yugo and the King were the only people left inside, the room suddenly felt much too large. Yugo quickly checked how Az was doing, only to find out that the little Tofu was napping inside his front pocket. The King stroked his long green beard for a while before speaking.

“First I would like to apologize,” he started.

“Apologize?”, Yugo repeated incredulously. “But...for what?”

“For allowing this to happen. I knew a lot of these people were afraid. Afraid of change, afraid of power that's not theirs, afraid of everything they can't comprehend. And when it comes to the Eliatropes, there is a lot to be afraid of. I thought that would be the occasion to make them know more about you and see that you're driven by pure motives, so they would have a better opinion of you and a better understanding of your people. But it didn't work out the way I expected, as you could see...”

Yugo nodded. “I'm sorry for that.”

The king shook his head and had a little, weary laugh. “It's none of your fault Yugo. You tried your best. Your brother also did very well. Based on his last experience with politics I half expected him to set Galdir on fire at some point.”

“I bet he wanted to do it,” Yugo answered, grinning broadly. After hours of bearing with hostile stares, having a friendly conversation was a welcome change. “But then...may I ask you something?”

“You're very welcome to do so.”

“Why aren't you...like them? I mean, why are you still supporting the return of my people when everyone else doesn't?” _Why aren't you afraid of us?_

“You mean it would be easier for me to follow the advice of my counsellors and abandon you to your fate? And you don't understand why I'm not doing that instead?”

“Well...kind of, yes. I mean, sorry, I don't want to disrespect you, but...”

“No offence taken Yugo. And you're right. That would be the easy way, but also the lazy one. What kind of a King am I if I'm not ready to do what's necessary, if I'd rather wallow in the comfort of never deciding against the will of my council, taking only the decisions that will please them instead?”

The King paused. Yugo stared intently at him, waiting for him to go on.

“But that's not the answer you asked for. I'm supporting your cause because I have faith. I know the return of your people will be the beginning of a new golden age for our world. It's not important if I'm being disputed in my own time by my own counsellors and allies because of my positions. I know our descendants will thank us for doing the right thing when we could, even though that means I'll have to cope with my fair share of angry talks to finally make it happen ― and what you saw here was only a foretaste.”

Yugo nodded. “Hmm. You don't share that view with Prince Armand though, do you?” The boy feared once again that he had been offensive, but all he got in return was a warm smile. 

“Armand is young, and he acts with the matching enthusiasm, sometimes impulsively even,” the King answered. “He still has a lot to learn, and at the moment he's more concerned about the well-being of our people than anything else. He has little time to devote to some grand visions of the future, where your people actually fit, but that will change. I can assure you that he has no resentment against you, even after the recent events. Just like you, he's trying his best to do what he feels is right.”

Yugo nodded silently. He could see how different people trying to achieve good deeds at the same time could have conflicting interests as a result. That was a lot more complicated than the bedtime stories he was used to. “Is it always that hard to do the right thing?” he asked softly.

The King chuckled. “Most of the time, it is. That's exactly why noble deeds deserve credit, because they are usually the hardest way. Your adventures are likely much funnier to live through than politics, but in the end we both know from first-hand experiences that making the right choices takes a lot of conviction and dedication.”

“Politics are less dangerous though”, Yugo pointed out with a mischievous grin. “You're not risking your life every day.”

“You have no idea how wrong you are”, the King retorted with a wry smile. “Anyway, this is not the only topic I wanted to discuss. Given the hostile atmosphere you had to endure all this afternoon, I would perfectly understand if you withheld some important information from the council. I won't hold anything against you if this is the case, you have my word. But if there's something you would rather tell me privately, _anything..._ now is the right moment.”

Yugo stared at the King, opened his mouth, then closed it, unable to utter a word. He didn't expect that. It felt like the King was exactly talking about what the boy thought he was talking about. But it was impossible. There was no way he could have known.

But there was also no way Yugo could look at him right into the eyes, lie, and get away with it. Not just after the King had reaffirmed his support of the Eliatrope people, the only support they could rely on.

“I...I don't...” the boy stammered. He gulped. He had no idea what to say. At that moment throwing a portal through the windows and disappearing forever looked like a very good idea. Or couldn't he just tell the truth? No, _no_. Too quick, too soon. He wasn't ready yet. The boy felt his cheeks grow hot, as the King stared at him, awaiting, his expression impossible to decipher.

Then it struck him.

“Yes! There's something,” Yugo blurted out. “I had a dream last night…or, a vision or something. It was not like any other dream. There was a little girl, she was dressed like an Eliatrope, and she showed me...” Yugo shuddered when he thought back about the vision of the Sadida Kingdom turned into ashes. “She showed me the Tree of Life burnt, and the whole Kingdom destroyed.”

The King raised an eyebrow. “Did she tell you how it happened?”

“Yes. She told me there would be a war between the nations of the World of Twelve, and I had to stop it, and the meantime I had to warn you not to fall into any tricks that could lead you into that conflict.”

“And did she tell you when?”

“No, only that it would come very soon. Much sooner than we could expect.”

King Sheran Sharm stroked his green beard thoughtfully, staying silent for a long while. “I see,” he said finally. “Well, I can assure you that there's no war in preparation anywhere, and you can rest easy.”

Yugo was startled by his abrupt answer. For someone who claimed to have faith, he sure brushed aside the warning quickly.

“But―”

“I'm sorry, let me just explain it to you at length. Every nation, every Kingdom has a network of spies that keep an eye for anything unusual. They are well trained professionals, extremely reliable. And the unspoken agreement is that we don't hunt them. I know for sure about a few of them in the palace here, but if you want to maintain the peace it's better to have everyone know about everyone else's little secret plans.”

“Yes, but―”

“The suspicion of hostile intents can have much more dire consequences than letting everyone know about your exact number of troops and their equipment. In any case, it has worked perfectly well so far. And I can tell you, preparing a war takes such an amount of effort and resources that it can't go unnoticed. It never did.”

“I understand, but―”

“So in my position Yugo,” the King continued. “Who would _you_ choose to believe? A very well-tried and very expensive network of spies who reported to me no later than yesterday that there was nothing to worry about for the next few months at least? Or a child who's telling me about a nightmare he had?”

Yugo cast him an offended look. “I told you, it was not like any other dream”, the boy insisted. “It felt really more...more real. More like a vision. I can't describe it any better than that, but I've had nightmares already, and it doesn't compare.”

“Sorry, I didn't intend to offend you,” the King continued with a much kinder demeanour. “You've been through quite a lot lately, and with everything you had to withstand, it wouldn't be a surprise if you were subjected to some kind of emotional trauma as a result.”

Yugo almost jumped from his seat in surprise. “What? You think I'm _crazy,_ really?”

“By Sadida, absolutely not,” Sheran Sharm answered gently. “I've never said anything like that, nor do I think it. But please try to see the matter from a more objective point of view. A child has nothing to do on a battlefield, and you've already been there twice. It's only normal to be shaken after that experience. Even though you may think you survived it and it's all that matters, it might have left some invisible scars on your mind, which is where that nightmare could come from. I'm not a specialist, but I've seen soldiers come back from war with the same kind of problems you're dealing with. And having vivid nightmares of imaginary wars just after you experienced war yourself seems only logical to me.”

Yugo stared silently at the broad man in front of him. He didn't want to believe a word of it, but...what if the King was right? If it was Yugo's own mind playing a trick on him, how would he know?

“Anyway, I can assure you adamantly that there's no immediate threat on the Sadida Kingdom, absolutely nothing out there you should be afraid of. You can reside here to recover for as long as you wish. And if you need any help, we have an Eniripsa healer named Egnos who specializes in that kind of problems. You can go see him on my behalf, I know he makes very efficient potions of dreamless sleep if you need that to rest properly.”

“I...” Yugo began. His shoulders slumped. What else could he say?

“Now please promise me you'll look after yourself Yugo, and do as I suggested if your nightmares come back.”

The boy nodded. “I will,” he mumbled.

“Good,” the King concluded. He smiled encouragingly. “Now go back to your friends, make some good fun of how we are all a bunch of grumpy old politicians, and how your brother almost set one of us on fire. You deserved that much.”

Yugo smiled back, but he didn't mean it. As he got up and walked to the door, he thought he surely hadn't expected the discussion to turn that way, but nonetheless he was pleased that it was over, like that whole council business he would have happily avoided if he had known what they were in for.

 

* * *

 

Later that night, Evangelyne was staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, imagining that the moving shadows cast by the moonlight through the tree leaves were living creatures. But it didn't help. She was lying in her bed, unable to find sleep. The light snoring from Tristepin right beside her was not the reason of her insomnia, but rather all the concerns that kept swirling in her mind.

She didn't regret any choices they had made together, even the most important one, and even though it was barely a choice. They were young, they were in love, it just happened. Evangelyne wasn't even concerned about that. She had spent most of her life looking after Amalia, so how different could it be to take care of her own child? It made her smile to think that after what she had endured with Amalia, having a child who was just half as annoying as the princess would already be really unfair.

The real problem was how Tristepin would handle it. Not that he wouldn't be a good father, but he had always proven to be restless. He had offered that they took a few months long break from adventuring, likely ignoring that they needed a lot more time than that if they wanted to raise their child properly. And even just a few months were already a great deal for the Ginger Knight. After a few days of doing nothing violent he would grow twitchy, unable to contain the urge to go fight the monster of the day. If the need for a good brawl had to battle against his love for her, Evangelyne was unsure which would win.

Then there was Amalia. She, too, would grow bored after merely a few weeks of being a princess again. Of course she loved the way everybody looked up at her, revering and admiring her, but if it had grown old in the past, it would grow old in the future. If Amalia suddenly left again to see the world, Evangelyne would be unable to follow, and it could end badly.

Evangelyne sighed and turned to her side, looking out of the window into the clear, starry night sky. Tristepin sleepily mumbled something about having an unfair share of Shushus to beat up, then started snoring again.

Ruel wasn't much of an issue. Right, he always managed to put himself into life-threatening situations because of his insatiable greed. But since it was always his own fault and Eva didn't care that much about the old skinflint, he wasn't the reason why she couldn't find sleep.

Yugo wasn't much of an issue either. Evangelyne did care about him, she cared about him a _lot_ , but even though he could be reckless sometimes, he was largely able to look after himself on his own. He had powerful magical abilities alongside a lot of common sense. And on top of that, he had Adamaï to protect him, a Dragon no less. Granted, Yugo hadn't exactly been himself in the previous few days, but if his attitude after the defeat of Nox was of any indication, his usual cheerful self would be back quickly.

That said something when the youngest member of their group was also the less likely to find a stupid way to get killed if he was left unattended.

Now that Qilby was back in his dimensional prison and the Shushus kicked out from the world, it didn't seem there was any danger looming at the horizon, and they could rest easy. But what if something happened and the Brotherhood had to leave for another adventure? Evangelyne would have no choice but to stay behind, which meant Amalia would be left unsupervised, and Tristepin would have to decide between abandoning his beloved Cra for months, or brooding day in and day out for missing all the fun.

There was no easy answer to these problems.

All in all, it didn't seem like Evangelyne was going to find her calm centre and sleep any time soon. She gently kissed her own Iop Knight on the cheek, then got out of bed, put on her clothes and exited the bedroom silently. Which was very easy for a Cra.

She headed towards the palace's gardens, the place where she always ended up when she wanted to clear her mind. It was calm and often empty, especially in the middle of night. As she made her way through the deserted palace's corridors, she thought back about what had happened earlier in those same gardens. The twin brothers had ended up there, meeting with the rest of the Brotherhood after their audience. Adamaï had been positively shaking with anger as he recounted how it went, having no word hard enough to qualify those 'petty little humans' they had met, while Yugo keenly accepted Amalia's offer to rest his head on her lap while she massaged his back, trying to have him relax a bit.

Evangelyne always found it cute to see Amalia and Yugo spending time together this way. They obviously considered each other as very good friends and they were still too young to think otherwise. But as the years passed, the Cra fully expected them to realise there was more than just friendship to the way they cared about each other.

The young archer arrived to the gardens, and as usual she was enthralled by the feeling of peace that always emanated from the place. Along with the moonlight, a few species of luminescent plants and insects illuminated the lush vegetation made of exotic and colourful trees. The only sounds came from the rustling of the tree leaves blown by a gentle breeze, and the soft screeching of nocturnal insects.

Evangelyne paced through the grass for a while, enjoying both the view and the smell, when she noticed that she was not alone. A few feet ahead of her, Yugo was sitting in the middle of a small clearing, cross-legged with his hands resting on his knees. His eyes were closed, and apart from his slow breathing that would have been imperceptible to Eva if she didn't have those acute Cra eyes, he was perfectly still.

She just stood there, observing the boy, unable to decide if she could just walk to him and have a chat, or if it was better to leave him alone. Then seeing how he seemed to be lost in meditation, she chose the latter, and turned on her heels. She had barely made the first step backwards when Yugo spoke up.

“No Eva, please stay.”

The young Cra stood there, startled. There was no way the boy could have noticed her. His eyes were still closed, and she didn't make any sound when she moved. But there was no point pretending she wasn't there.

“You're sure I'm not bothering you?” she asked.

The young Eliatrope chuckled softly. “Why do you think that? Quite the opposite,” he answered lightly. “Your presence is soothing. Come and sit if you like.”

“Okay...If you say so.”

Evangelyne walked to the boy and sat in the grass across from him. Yugo didn't move nor open his eyes. She had always known him to be weirder than average people, given his mysterious origins and unique magical abilities, but finding him meditating in the middle of the night was the next level of bizarre.

“So...you couldn't sleep either?” she asked awkwardly.

“Hmm. Yeah. When it happens I like to come here, it's so peaceful. You too?”

“Yes, exactly the same.”

“If you want to talk about what bothers you, I'm here.”

Evangelyne stared intently at the boy. He still had his eyes closed, a faint but encouraging smile on his lips. The way he seemed to see everything without even looking was getting slightly unnerving.

“I'm not...bothered by anything. It's fine.”

“Yes you are. I can feel it. But I understand if you don't want to talk about it.”

“No it's not that, it's just...” She sighed. Yes, it was exactly the problem. She didn't want to share her couple issues with Yugo. “There's nothing wrong,” she lied. “Anyway, how can you _feel_ that? You didn't even look at me.”

“I can feel your Wakfu”, Yugo explained. “You, the plants, the trees, the rocks, everything. When it's quiet and I can focus, I feel it from much further, with more detail. I knew you were here long before you arrived.”

Evangelyne nodded. “What does it look like for you?”

The boy frowned. “It's hard to explain...It's like if you ask me to describe a sound, or a colour. You see what I mean? I just feel it, that's all. And in a place like that where everything is alive, it's wonderful. I wish I could share it with you.”

“So when you said my presence was soothing...you meant my Wakfu, right?”

Yugo smiled, his eyes still closed. “No, I meant your presence,” he said softly. “Whenever you're around, you make me feel safe.”

That made Eva think in silence for a while. She realised she felt the same way for him. After all the time they had spent together, even though they were completely unrelated, she considered Yugo like a little brother she had to protect.

“And you can identify anyone like that, just by their Wakfu?” she asked.

“Only people I know. I can identify strangers as strangers, but people like you, Ruel, Pinpin or Amalia, I know each of your Wakfu signatures, so it's easy. And speaking of that...”

Yugo fell silent for a moment, his brow furrowed, deeply concentrated. Evangelyne felt uneasy, as if he was looking right through her. She didn't think it was really the case, but she had secrets to hide after all, like anyone else.

“That's weird...” the boy murmured.

“What's the matter?”

“Well, it's like...I don't know. I've known your Wakfu for over a year now, well enough that I can even tell your emotions from it. But something has changed. It's like...”

Evangelyne shifted uncomfortably. Surely, he couldn't see this...

“Well, your usual Wakfu signature is still there,” he continued. “But it's like there's another one, so feeble I can barely feel it, _inside_ of you. That doesn't make any sense, that would mean...”

Yugo froze. Then he opened his eyes in realisation and stared open-mouthed at Eva, unable to utter a word. He understood, and she understood that he understood.

“I'm so sorry Eva!” the boy blurted out. “I―I never meant to see that, I swear!”

Evangelyne could read on his face that he was honest, and when Yugo bore that regretful look, one had to be really heartless to get mad at him. The Cra sighed. That was really not the way she had planned to announce it, but now it was done...

“No problem Yugo”, she said kindly. “It would have been visible in a few weeks anyway.”

Yugo nodded, then he sighed, visibly relieved to have his involuntary lack of tact forgiven so easily. He grinned at her. “So you're going to become a mum? That's great!”

She smiled back at his enthusiasm, but she didn't feel it. “Yes, but...don't you see what it means?”

Yugo shook his head at her, clueless. Evangelyne knew it would be bad news for him, but he had to hear it before he found another adventure to lead them all into. 

“That means I won't be able to follow the Brotherhood from now on.”

The boy's face quickly went from joyful to crestfallen. “Oh...dang. I didn't see it that way. I mean, I understand of course, that's just...well, I didn't expect that.”

“Why, you're planning to leave any time soon?” the Cra asked.

“Not really no, but it's not like we've ever planned anything so far,” Yugo pointed out with a little smirk.

“That's the kind of things that were keeping you awake? Because you don't know what you're going to do next?”

The boy nodded. “Hmm. Part of, yes. Adamaï wanted us to leave, but to go where? We don't know where Phaeris is. We could go back to Emelka, but if anything important happens here, it's quite far away. So we're going to stay for the time being.”

He paused, and Evangelyne could easily see from his uneasy look that the subject was bothering him. “So, what's the matter?” she asked.

“Well, you see, Adamaï thinks we don't belong here. When we see how the council went, maybe he's right, but I still don't feel that way. I don't understand why, but I feel like I'm part of this place. I feel at home. See what I mean?”

Evangelyne nodded. “Yes, I understand. I guess it's because you were raised apart. Surely Adamaï didn't see many humans before you arrived at Oma, so it's harder for him to see them as his own people.”

“He didn't see any.” Yugo chuckled. “That's why he has so much trouble to deal with people. That's funny to see, until he tries to burn someone just because he's angry.”

Evangelyne smiled back, trying to encourage him to speak his heart. “You said that was only part of the things keeping you awake. There's something else? If you want to talk, you know you can tell me anything.”

The boy looked uneasy again. He shifted uncomfortably, uncrossing his legs. “Well, yeah. I suppose I can tell you. I can't help thinking about Qilby. I feel sorry for him. I know I did what had to be done. There wasn't much of a choice anyway. But still...that's an horrible fate. I just spent a short time alone in the Blank Dimension and it was unbearable. So to think he's going to spend centuries stuck there...I wish I could have worked out a better solution for him.”

Evangelyne had caught up with the story after the council, along with the rest of the Brotherhood of the Tofu, but Yugo hadn't provided them with that much detail. “You feel _sorry_ for him?” she asked, surprised. “After all the horrible things he did to your people?”

“Hold on, I'm not saying he's not evil”, Yugo corrected. “He had to be stopped. But making him suffer won't repair anything. And of course I don't remember, but before he did what he did, before he got desperate to the point of betraying us, maybe we could have taken better care of him. That's what he was blaming me for anyway.”

“Come on Yugo. If you start blaming yourself for mistakes you may have made in your previous lives, you'll never see the end of it.” The boy didn't look convinced, so Evangelyne tried a different approach. “It's nothing definitive anyway. You can go back to him somehow, don't you? After all, you were able to get him out of there once.”

Yugo frowned, thinking. “Well...not by myself, I needed the Eliacube for that, although...with the help of Balthazar that should be possible. But what for? I have no better solution for him.”

“Not right now, but let's say you come up with something better along the way. You can always go find him and help him properly later on.”

Yugo thought about it for a while, then his face illuminated with a large smile. “Of course! It's not over, I just have to keep looking for a better answer. I didn't see it that way. Thanks Eva!”

Evangelyne smiled back at him. When there was nothing else to cheer one up, hope was often the only solution, and she knew it. “There's still one thing I wanted to ask you,” she said. “But don't answer if you don't feel like it.”

“Okay...” the boy answered warily. “Ask away.”

“Back on the boat, when we arrived at the Crimson Claws, you asked us to let you go alone, and for a moment I thought we had convinced you to stick together. But you still left. Why?”

Yugo thought about the answer for a while, and Evangelyne could see from his face that he wasn't bothered by the question. He was just searching for the right words.

“When I was fighting Qilby,” he explained, “several times I felt like giving up. I mean, he was much more powerful, and I never managed to hit him. Not even once. It was just too hard. If I didn't have your words fresh in my mind, it would have ended just like that.”

Yugo met Eva's gaze. “You gave me the courage to see it through, because I wasn't fighting just for me. I was fighting for all of you. But it wasn't _your_ fight. I could see that no matter what I said, you would come along, so I came up with this idea of stranding you up in the middle of the sea. I'm not proud of it, but I didn't want you to get involved, because someone could have ended up dead and it would have been my fault.”

“No, never,” Eva denied adamantly. “How can you think that?”

The boy shrugged. “I already felt that way for Pinpin. This time I used the Eliacube. That's what started it all. In a way, I'm responsible of everything.”

“That doesn't change anything. We followed you on this quest because we wanted to. If we turned our backs on you at the first real difficulty, what would it tell about us? That we're only fair-weather friends right?”

“I...Well, yeah, I suppose so,” Yugo hesitated.

“Exactly. Did you think for a second about how it would have felt for us if _you_ got killed back there, when we couldn't help you?” 

“In that case the world would have been destroyed,” the young Eliatrope noted. “I'm not sure it matters at all.”

Evangelyne shook her head and stared intently at him. “It does. Never assume again that we need you to protect us from ourselves. Everyone was perfectly aware of the risks involved, and everyone was willing to stand by your side until the very end.”

Yugo shook his head, his expression confused. “I don't understand. Why are you all willing to risk your lives for me? Why is it so important?”

“But...because we're friends, Yugo.”

As the implications of those simple words sank in, Yugo nodded slowly and smiled. Eva really meant it, convinced that the boy was feeling the same towards her. They have had the occasion to prove it several times each already. He had saved her from Count Vampyro. She had saved him from the Voice Thief. There wasn't any point keeping scores anyway.

“Thanks Eva. That was nice chatting with you,” Yugo said, stifling a yawn. “It's getting late though, we should―”

He stopped mid-sentence, frozen on the spot, open-mouthed. His wide open eyes expressed what looked like terror. Suddenly he gripped his head with both hands and yelped in pain.

“Are you okay?” Evangelyne asked urgently.

“I am,” he groaned through gritted teeth. “But Adamaï isn't. Sorry, I must go.”

Before Evangelyne could say anything, Yugo jumped on his feet, opened a portal and dove through it, suddenly becoming a ribbon of blue light that darted in the night sky towards the upper floors of the palace. The next second, the young Cra was sitting alone in the grass, bewildered as usual to notice how everything seemed to go at a quicker pace whenever Yugo was around.

 

* * *

 

Yugo always hated that feeling. If only he could know exactly what was happening. But no, that would have been so _convenient_. All he felt was his brother's suffering, without any way to know why, leaving him with only a deep sense of dread until he could find out. That was much worse when they were separated by whole oceans. Luckily this time he was only a few seconds away from his brother.

The boy flew through the window of their bedroom. He landed clumsily, carried away by the precipitation. He got back on his feet and immediately scanned the room, looking for any intruder, only to find out that he was alone with his brother. He could barely see him in the darkness. The little dragon was lying down in his bed, eyes closed. He would have looked to be peacefully sleeping, if he wasn't shivering badly from head to toe. Another fresh wave of anxiety assaulted Yugo as he rushed to his brother's side.

“Adamaï. Adamaï!” the boy called, shaking his brother by the shoulders to wake him up. The dragon opened his eyes and cast a glassy look at Yugo's face. The unbearable feeling of fear and the violent headache immediately stopped, but Adamaï still looked feverish.

“Yugo...that's really you? Oh dang...” he moaned numbly.

“Of course that's me bro. What happened?”

“I―I was just...” the dragon stammered. He managed to focus a bit more, and sighed with relief. “Thanks the Goddess...that was just a dream.”

“Not a nice one, right?”

“Not really, no.”

Even though the temperature in the room was pleasant, Adamaï was still shaking like a leaf. Yugo had his own solution for that kind of problems.

“Okay, move a bit,” he ordered. “Leave me some room.”

“What? Don't be stupid, the bed is too small for both of us.”

“Excuses,” Yugo retorted. “This is my brother duty and you won't stop me.”

Adamaï shook his head, slightly bemused. Yugo knew his brother wasn't used to physical contact. Their extremely rare hugs had always felt awkward. But now that Adamaï was stuck with such a cuddly and stubborn brother, he didn't have much of a choice. Besides, he needed it. 

Adamaï moved to the side of his bed, and Yugo laid down next to him. The boy latched his little arms tightly around his brother's torso, soothing his chills. If the dragon was tense at first, he quickly relaxed.

“There. Nothing a good hug can't take care of. How do you feel?”

“Much better,” Adamaï admitted. “How did you know?”

“Dad did that every time I had a nightmare,” Yugo explained. “You're my brother, there's no way you can't like a good hug. Grougal never did it?”

Adamaï chuckled and snorted at the same time, making a strange sound. “No, hugs were not really his thing. He had other ways to let me know he loved me, like when he pushed me off a cliff on the first day he taught me how to fly.”

“What? How does that show he loved you?”

“Because he caught me before I crashed and died. That proves he cared about me.”

“Okay...” Yugo muttered, slightly baffled. He had trouble to understand that peculiar way of expressing love, but then maybe it was the dragon's way, much like Adamaï had trouble to understand the human way. 

“Anyway, what was this nightmare about?” Yugo asked. He feared that Anathar was now possessing his brother's dreams after doing so with his body.

“It was...well, really strange. It felt much more real than a usual dream somehow. I was standing alone, and throughout the whole thing I was feeling a great void, as if you were, you know...” Adamaï swallowed a lump. He couldn't say the word, obviously extremely uncomfortable with the idea of losing his brother. 

“I'm here,” Yugo said gently. “I'll always be here.”

“Well, maybe not forever. You know, maybe I shouldn't talk about it but...what happens if only one of us dies? Knowing that the other has to end it if we want to get reborn...what would you do if I died?”

Yugo had never given much thought to that idea, and he really didn't like it. He couldn't envision going on with his own life while feeling a permanent huge gap in his heart where Adamaï would have been, but if the only other option was suicide... “If something bad has to happen, then we'd better make sure it gets both of us,” he concluded firmly.

“True. That would make everything so much simpler. Together 'til the end.”

“Together 'til the end,” Yugo repeated. He hugged his brother a bit more tightly, feeling his now much calmer breathing underneath his arms. “Anyway, even if I was dead in your dream, that means nothing. That's just a dream.”

“You're right. But there's a bit more to it,” Adamaï continued. “So I stood there, in the middle of that strange landscape...it looked liked everything had been burnt to the ground. There was grey ash everywhere, as far as I could see. Then at one point, I looked at the horizon, and I'm pretty sure...”

Yugo knew where it was going before he heard it. An icy feeling swelled inside his chest that had nothing to do with the somewhat cooler skin of his cold-blooded brother.

“Well, I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I saw the Tree of Life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Illustration by the outstanding[Pappis](http://pappcave.tumblr.com)_
> 
> _And that concludes the first part. The second season's ending leaves a lot of loose ends to play with, obviously intended for a third season that's still up in the air. This is just my take on the subject, but I felt there was a lot of room for discontent and conflict in the wake of Qilby's actions. Also I apologize for the outrageous amounts of Yugo+Adamaï, but the way they got separated and their combined strengths never exploited in the series was a frustration to me, which I'm aiming to correct. Anyway, the next chapter will set things in motion._
> 
> _As usual, please feel free to tell me what you think of it. You telling me is the only way I can possibly know. Or I could learn telepathy, but it's a lot more practical if you just tell me. Also I'd like to thank again everyone who's following and commenting, the Wakfu fandom is small, and motivation is precious. I would have stopped long ago if no one cared. Thanks._


	4. Shushual suspects

Lucien wiped Akula's blood-covered blade on a dead man's ragged clothes. “I honestly don't know what to do any more,” he admitted. “It seems like the promise of a long and peaceful life is inconsequential compared to the honour of impaling oneself upon your blade.”

“I'm not complaining,” Akula joked. “If it weren't for the noble sacrifice of these good men, our trip would be boring.”

A regular traveller needed two weeks to make the trip from Bonta to Brakmar, using main roads and known Zaap portals. Ten days, if everything went well―which it never did. Bandits were more than common, and if travellers wanted to stay alive and well they had the choice between being poor, or able to defend themselves.

Lucien was both, and that always cut it, one way or another. Some robbers still attacked him, and then they stopped both their attack and their basic biological functions.

“I don't know,” he admitted. “Akula, do you remember when I lost my passion for this job?”

She paused thoughtfully. “Um, Tuesday?”

“Was it? It feels like if you kill one bandit, you've killed them all, as if they're all created by some generic bandit factory.”

“Well, if the senseless slaughter doesn't mean anything any more, what about the, uh, betterment of mankind?” She said the last few words with audible contempt.

Lucien shrugged as he climbed onto his dragoturkey. “Sure, these men did not deserve to live, but the chances they would find and kill someone who did are, well, non-existent.”

They rode most of the day, stopping only for a quick lunch. They spent the night at one of the travellers relay inns that doted the main road. Lucien could have ridden much longer, not even minding the obscurity, but dragoturkeys were not machines and they needed to rest once in a while.

After two more Zaaps and a few days of riding through verdant forests under a pleasant sun, the landscape became barren, the trees scarce, and the sky bleak. They were approaching Brakmar, and they could tell long before they saw the actual place. Its giant volcanic rift affected the weather for miles and miles around. Massive cinder clouds frequently drizzled acid rain, deadly for the plant life.

The city had expanded inside the rift itself. From outside one could only see a gigantic gash in the earth, like an open wound, glowing red from the lava flowing at the bottom. Even if the founding of the city remained in mystery, its people widely believed it to be the work of Djaul, a Shushu who had ascended to become a protector of the months. And a quick look at the place made it perfectly plausible it was the brainchild of a demon.

The main road descended into the bowels of the city through a gigantic tunnel, buzzing with activity. Travellers and merchants were legion, attracted by the great opportunities arising from Brakmar's completely unregulated business. Everything had a price in Brakmar, even life. Lucien knew it better than anyone else.

They entered the city and made their way through crowded narrow streets, hailed from all sides by merchants selling a wide choice of more or less lethal products. Generally more than less.

“Why would you need poison anyway,” Akula said nonchalantly. “It's not like people being stabbed into the heart need to be poisoned on top of that.”

“Not everyone has our skill.”

“Which makes it even worse. If they don't know what to do with a blade already, add that poison and a clumsy cut to their finger will kill them. It's downright retarded. True professionals would never need stuff like that.”

“You can also pour it into a drink,” Lucien noted. “That's a coward move, but efficient.”

“What? And waste the joy of a perfectly pleasurable knife kill? If you do that to me, I'll go on a strike.”

The Sram laughed light-heartedly. “There will be no need to resort to such extreme measures,” he said.

It was one thing they could agree on. They were both blade purists and Lucien would rather master every way to kill with knives, swords and daggers than condescend to use some sort of artifice. The Sram thought this way because it was more efficient, whereas Akula just found it more enjoyable.

Brakmar kept growing over time, with new buildings and new bridges each year, generally dug directly into the stone or attached to the large rocky peaks that emerged from the lava. Even though the Brakmarian engineers had outstanding skill, earthquakes often shook off some buildings and their inhabitants into the magma below. Such was life in Brakmar.

The Guild had been built into one amongst the largest peaks of the city. It had been one of the first buildings in Brakmar, but somehow it still stood pretty much alone, like some invisible, evil aura had discouraged any expansion into it's neighbourhood. Which wasn't that far from the truth, now Lucien thought about it.

They quickly crossed the last bridge leading to the Guild's entrance, marked by a gigantic skull sculpture that seemed to swallow them as they went through. Lucien dismounted his dragoturkey and attached it in the courtyard. It was surrounded by stairs and doors leading in all directions, and filled with people in black hooded cloaks who silently attended to their own business. One of them advanced towards the Sram.

“Oath-sworn Lucien. You've returned,” the hooded man noted coldly.

“Yep,” Lucien answered cheerfully. “How's it going, pal?”

The man seemed a bit baffled by that display of familiarity. He cleared his throat. “The Master has been waiting for you.”

“I figured so. May I see him now?”

“You may.”

“Cheers mate.”

Lucien knew the place perfectly well and he didn't need directions. He headed straight for a nearby staircase, carved directly into the volcanic stone just as about everything else in the Guild, including the furniture. The beds were kind of an issue.

When they were out of earshot, Akula giggled as quietly as she could. “That face he made when you called him 'Pal', it was brilliant.”

“I hate these guys. They always seem to have a stick up their ass.”

“Well, it's pretty obvious they hate you too.”

“Of course they do. We have nothing in common,” Lucien said as he climbed the narrow spiral staircase, lined with torches. “Most of them have been here for generations and they're more concerned about living up to the name of their ancestors than actually doing the job. Of course they're going to hate someone like me, who came from the streets and climbed every rank with hard work. They can't even begin to understand what it's like to actually _earn_ something.”

“My hero,” Akula said gleefully.

Lucien sighed. It was not the first time they discussed it. He never considered himself to be part of the Guild as a whole. Its cumbersome ceremony seemed so frivolous. The Guild would have been so much better off if someone took the tumour of its traditions and just severed it.

He reached the top of the staircase and followed a narrow corridor. For any outsider the Guild was like a maze, but Lucien had been trained to remember floor plans and his own home had been his first practical exercise. The Guild's intricate architecture was contrived by the dense magmatic rock it had been built into, and the incredible effort required to dig any new room had made everything rather narrow and oppressively small.

The Sram didn't cross any guards, as there wasn't any need for them. One had to be seriously disturbed to sneak into a place crammed with professional assassins.

Lucien arrived into the Master's room, which served both as his office and personal quarters. It was small and simple, functional without any superfluous decoration, and opened on a balcony that gave a nice view over Brakmar and its lava rivers.

“The Master isn't here,” Akula noted.

“What a perceptive Shushu you are, I don't know how I'd survive without you. We'll just wait for him,” Lucien said while taking a seat. A pile of paper reports sat on the desk, but the Sram resisted his urge to look at them.

The Master arrived shortly after, stooping and coughing even worse than Lucien could remember. His health had been frail for ages and it didn't seem to get any better.

For someone in charge of a legion of spies and assassins, the Master didn't impress for sure. His craggy face and bald skull showed his great age while his simple black robes, the same as the other regular agents, weren't meant to display any kind of hierarchical prevalence. His small and thin frame didn't intimidate either, but his piercing stare chilled murderers to the bone.

He had the power to sign a death warrant for any person in the world, and people who wielded that ability didn't need to look impressive at all.

Lucien stood up and bowed respectfully, but the Master impatiently motioned him to sit down while coughing some more. He stood by his desk, pressing his hands on the stony surface for support.

“They tell tourists that the Brakmarian weather can cure anything,” the Master sneered. “Sulphuric fumes ain't doing me any good for sure.”

His voice was hoarse and gravelly, like pebbles rubbing against each other. Lucien smiled back politely at him, but the well-being of the only person in the world he respected wasn't a subject he'd joke about. The Master caught his stare and smirked at him.

“You look at me just like that little boy I found on the streets years ago. Everybody dies, you know that Lucien. Of all people I'd expect you to be especially aware of that. And by the look of it, I'm getting there rather quickly.”

“I know Master. It's just that...the Guild won't be the same without you.”

The Master had another bout of coughing before he could speak again. Lucien respectfully waited for him.

“For sure it won't. Especially for you. That's why we need to talk. Where's Farkas?”

The Sram shifted on his seat uncomfortably when he realised he hadn't given a single thought to his so called team-mate for days. “I have no idea,” he admitted.

The Master cast his hard, soul-piercing stare directly at Lucien. “You have no idea,” he repeated. “You have no friggin' idea. Ain't that great?” He slowly sat down at his desk across from Lucien. “Do you have any idea how it's important for you two to stick together?”

“Honestly? No. I can do the job alone. Farkas lacks the subtlety needed to avoid unnecessary confrontations. He's just a burden for me.”

The Master joined his hands before his face, letting an uneasy silence settle. “A burden,” he said finally. “I'll make it crystal clear just for you. I'll be gone in a few weeks at most, and the next Guild Master will be someone from the inner circle, 'cause that's the way it works. Whoever it turns out to be, he won't have any patience for you and your manners. He'll do everything to get you killed. You'll get all the suicide missions until you don't make it back.”

More coughing, then the Master grabbed his handkerchief to spit some blood into it. Lucien tried not to show it, but he found it painful to see the old man like that.

“Farkas is the only other outsider besides you,” the Master continued. “And you're on the same boat together. That's why it's important you stop bickering just because he doesn't do the job the way you'd have done it. He may be an annoying brat, but you'll need him to watch your back, and vice versa. Is that clear?”

“It is,” Lucien answered firmly. He would never trust Farkas to watch his back, especially since he could make his back disappear altogether if he wanted to, but the Master's words made sense. Being part of the Guild would become tricky once his protector would be gone. Maybe he shared more with Farkas than he cared to admit.

“Right. From now on you'll be a good boy and do some efforts if you don't want to end up cold. It's really up to you. There's another matter we need to discuss.”

The Master picked up the messy stack of papers on the desk, arranged them into a neat pile and held them out for Lucien.

“This is for you. Do you know about the Eliatropes?”

The Sram looked up from the papers onto his Master's face with a puzzled expression.

“The Eliatropes? No, but the name isn't unknown either. Aren't they an ancient people that died out aeons ago somehow?”

“Yes. And apparently they're going to come back, and it's becoming a world issue, with diplomatic councils, angry talks between major rulers, everything. We don't know what they're up to or what they're really capable of, but some people are already rattling their swords in expectation.”

Lucien looked quickly through the report of the Council of Twelve that had taken place in the Sadida Kingdom a few weeks before. Apparently an agent from the Guild had attended. It always amazed him to see how they were able to infiltrate everything.

“Their whole people is only children?” he asked with surprise. “The most powerful leaders of the World of Twelve are afraid of mere _children_?”

The Master sniggered at him. “You've ever heard of Nox?” he asked.

Lucien nodded. Not much was known about the power-mad Xelor. He wasn't the kind to leave survivors, just a vacant ruin that travellers would later attribute to the Ogrest's Chaos. “If I remember correctly, he was defeated by the Sadida army after he tried to consume their Tree of Life.”

The Master chuckled bitterly. “Do your homework, kid. The entire Sadida army barely slowed him down. He was defeated by one Eliatrope child.” He held up a bony finger. “Just one. And now ten thousand or more of these things are ready to spill everywhere like rabbits. So we're going to keep an eye on this matter, and if it turns out they have plans for world domination after all, children or not, we'll deal with the problem our way.”

Lucien raised an eyebrow at these words. “Please forgive me but... You'd be ready to order the killing of children? Isn't it forbidden by one of our most sacred rules?”

“If you can kill one children to save a thousand, and you don't do it, then you're killing one thousand children. It's the end result that matters. We never take justice contracts against children, but if a child climbed on the throne of Brakmar and started a war to exterminate some nation, I'd kill him without hesitation. The same applies here. Until we know for sure they really have those peaceful intentions they speak of, we have to stay wary.”

Lucien nodded. “I see. Is there more to it?”

“Yes. No matter what their intentions are, some people don't want to take chances with them. In fact, most of the Kingdoms have already said they don't want to see the Eliatropes come back, but they ain't going to start a war over it. Except...”

“...Brakmar,” Lucien completed.

“Of course. They've been designing a lot of shiny toys lately, costly toys too, and building them would be great for the economy. Truces are getting old, and the Prince is looking for an excuse, anything really, that would allow Brakmar to start another good war.”

“And the Eliatropes just offered them the perfect reason on a silver platter.”

“Exactly. Those kids are not even back and they're already allied with the Sadida and Bonta, the arch-enemy of Brakmar. All Brakmar has to do is to vilify the Eliatropes, convince their own allies the youngsters are up to something bad, and when the Sadida move to protect them the situation will escalate into another full scale war. It will make everything that already happened into your short lifetime look like peace in comparison.”

Lucien exchanged a meaningful glance with Akula. “There's been other wars before,” he said. “The world has survived every one of them.”

“So far, it has. But with all the new technology involved, no one can predict how this one will end. Here, have a look,” the Master said while handing a blueprint to Lucien.

“What is it?”

“A siege machine. The design seems a bit inspired by the fortress Nox used, with those arachnoid legs to go everywhere.”

“Wow…the scale has to be wrong.”

“It's not, it's really that huge. And it's supposed to spew out molten boulders or something. It would be a shame if the next opponent Brakmar manages to find had a forest-covered territory that could burn, right?”

Lucien examined the blueprint more closely. Indeed it looked very much like a metallic arachne, and a gigantic one for sure. “Are the Sadida aware of the threat?”

“Of course not,” the Master said with a tired sigh. “That would only make things worse. There's also warmongers on the Sadida's side, like the crown prince Armand. We sent false intelligence their way to keep them nice and quiet while we deal with the situation.”

“But if things escalate, they will be unprepared,” Lucien noted.

“That's the risk, yes. But as I told you, if things really go downhill this time around, prepared or not there won't be much left to be saved.”

Lucien frowned in confusion. “Still, I don't see what's new. If there is any clear indication that one of the Kingdoms wants to escalate the situation into a full scale war, we're here to stop it as usual. The mere threat of us intervening is usually enough to keep everyone from acting.”

“That's exactly the damn problem son. I don't know who'll take charge after me. If it's someone who has a personal interest in the matter, maybe even a relative of the Brakmarian Prince, I can tell you that the well-being of innocent children won't be a major concern any more.”

The Sram started to get a clear idea of what his Master wanted him to do. “You want me to kill the new Master if he allows that war to happen?”

“Hold on. We're not there yet. But if it's down to that, I expect you to use your judgement, and not fail me. Whatever happens we must stay true to our creed. Justice and order.”

Lucien nodded. “I'll see to it. Although to be honest, I'd have preferred to get a new list of people who had escaped their due punishment instead. It would have been so much simpler.”

“Life ain't easy, and wishes are for children. In the meantime you can do whatever you like. I just want you near the Guild if something happens─or rather _when_ something happens.”

Even though it was clear Lucien was dismissed, he didn't rise from his seat.

“A problem son?” the Master asked.

“Not really no, just...what do you think will be the outcome if this war really happens?”

“Innocent people will die by the thousands,” the older man snapped. “What kind of a question is that?”

“Of course, sorry, I mean...because of the fight, Kingdoms will be weakened and won't be able to maintain their authority. Do you think their peoples will be able to revolt and take control?”

The Master sighed and considered him silently for a moment. Lucien shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“You seem to think it'd be a good thing,” the Master said. “Let me tell you son, it ain't.”

“How so? People here in Brakmar are barely more than slaves, forced to work until exhaustion just to pay for their food and housing, when they're not literally slaves. The elite exploits them and would mostly evade justice if it wasn't for us. How could it end up any worse than it already is?”

The older man had a wry snicker that sent him on yet another coughing bout.

“You're blinded by youthful idealism,” he continued in between coughs, before spitting blood into his handkerchief once again. “The Guild has had its fair share of philosophers like you over the years, but we already drew the conclusions long ago. We maintain order and do our best to ensure justice is done, because it's best for the people. They ain't going to achieve anything on their own, apart from killing each other to survive. Do you think it would be any better?”

“But people aren't free,” Lucien pointed out.

“Would they rather be free, or alive? If they were free, they'd be free to murder, steal and rape to their hearts' content. It would be somewhere between the law of the jungle and total chaos. That's why we're here son. People are much better off with that crappy system, instead of no system at all. There's no discussion. Off you go.”

The Master switched his attention to the piles of papers on his desk, and Lucien had nothing to add. He stood up and left without another word.

“That went rather well,” Akula said jokingly once they were back in the staircase, on their way to the courtyard below.

“Shut up,” Lucien retorted sullenly.

“Oh come on, you're not going to have a sulk on me now, are you? You knew he wouldn't like your ideas.”

“That suits you well, cause unless I'm mistaken you agree with him.”

“Of course I do,” Akula said kindly. “But I have different reasons. If everyone murders each other, what's left for me to kill?”

Lucien shook his head with amused disbelief. “I wonder how you can be so vicious,” he said.

Akula chuckled happily. “Thanks. I'd be blushing if I knew how. So what now? We have so little free time usually, I have no idea what to do with it. I suppose killing random people for shit and giggles isn't an option ?”

“You suppose right. How about having a walk down town? It's been ages since we've been there and I don't have a better idea anyway.”

“Sounds boring, but I can't think of anything either. Hopefully there'll be a good fight going on somewhere and we can get involved. That would make my day.”

 

* * *

 

Yugo was in trouble.

Truth be told, he'd been warned beforehand. Adamaï had told him countless times his eagerness to accept any and every challenge that came his way would cost him dearly one day. And clearly this time he realised he had bitten on more than he could chew.

The boy raised his shield to block the incoming blow. Sharp pain shot up his right arm as his opponent's weapon struck with a loud thud. Yugo didn't let out any sound, gritting his teeth in a futile effort to make it look like he was still coping with the onslaught.

The next impact was strong enough to force him to let go of his shield, leaving him with only his short sword as a makeshift defence. He held it clumsily with the blade in front of his face, having no clue what to do with it.

With portals and magic forbidden by the rules, Yugo was just feeling hopelessly inadequate.

The next sequence of attacks was too quick for him to fully realise what was happening. One powerful swing, and his sword was suddenly ripped out of his hand, landing a dozen feet away. A sharp elbow struck him square in the chest, making him fall on his back in the dirt. Then the killing blow came, aimed right between his eyes and about to split his skull open.

It stopped an inch away from his face.

“Come on Yugo, you're not even trying,” Tristepin taunted.

“We're supposed to be _training_ , but you only tried to kill me so far,” Yugo retorted, looking back at the Ginger Knight. Tristepin's wooden sword was right against the boy's face, splitting his field of view neatly. Yugo angrily pushed the blade away with the back of his hand.

“Hard training, easy war,” the Iop recited cheerfully as he straightened up. “With everything you said about magical Wakfu swords and all that stuff, I expected a lot better from you.”

“I have no clue what to do with that thing. That's why I asked you to train me before you turned it into a competition, in case you already forgot. Also, Wakfu weapons don't weigh anything.”

Tristepin just laughed at him, unnerving him even more. “You're telling me your wooden gear is too heavy? Even Az weighs more than that.”

The little Tofu chirped happily from the bench he was sitting on, next to a very bored Rubilax and a sulking Adamaï.

They were in the Sadida arena, the fighting pit right next to the palace where Tristepin and Prince Armand had brawled the year before. Yugo had no memory of that since at this time he had been busy going after a Dofus on the other side of the world, but he had heard the story afterwards.

When no event was taking place, the royal guards used the arena for training. A few of them had come to watch, attracted by the promise of two legendary warriors from the Brotherhood of the Tofu having a spar, but what they had been presented so far had left them rather disappointed, if not downright bored.

Yugo sat up, his clothes covered in dirt and his hair matted by sweat. As a stark contrast, The Knight's hair was as impeccable as ever, and the absence of any mark or bruise on his bare chest clearly indicated that Yugo hadn't hit him even once. It enraged the boy even more to notice that Tristepin wasn't looking any more tired than if he'd been sitting down doing nothing, let alone having a fight.

To be fair, their 'fight' was so one-sided it was a bit presumptuous to call it a fight.

Yugo sighed from the frustration. “At least teach me something,” he said. “There's no point going on like that. I'm well aware I suck at sword-fighting by now.”

“Oh really?” Adamaï yelled from his seat. “I couldn't tell from here. You sure you're not pretending to be so hilariously hopeless bro?”

“Shut up!” Yugo shouted back furiously. “I'd like to see you try,” he added under his breath.

Tristepin smiled at him gently. “Come on buddy. I just wanted to see what you could do. I'll teach you the basics then.” He offered Yugo his hand and yanked the young Eliatrope back on his feet.

“Right. First thing you need to understand is that staying under your shield without fighting back is only good for turtles and Fecas. Maybe I have a problem with my eyesight, but I'm quite sure you're not a turtle. Of course that's nice to have a shield, especially if it's magical and all, but if you never attack you're just buying time. Sword only now.”

Yugo shook his head in disbelief. “That doesn't make any sense. If I couldn't hold against you with a shield, how's it going to be any better without one?”

Tristepin put his hands on his hips and let out an impatient sigh. “Hey, remember you asked me to train you. I made my point showing how you would have ended up dead in ten seconds if it was a real fight. So how about you just accept the lesson, instead of questioning everything?”

Yugo blushed slightly as he realised his friend was entirely right. His performance didn't entitle him to any remarks, and he was much better off listening to the advice the Ginger Knight was kindly willing to provide him with.

Without adding a word, Tristepin took his wooden sword by the blade and offered the hilt to Yugo. The boy took hold of it firmly with his right hand, but as soon as he did, Tristepin looked at him quizzically.

“What? I'm not even able to hold a sword properly?” Yugo said with a smirk, half expecting his friend to confirm he was really that bad.

“No, it's not about that... Are you really right-handed?”

The boy raised an eyebrow. “Of course I am. Why?”

“You were holding your shield with your right hand earlier.”

Yugo paused, staring blankly at the sword in his right hand. Tristepin was right. He had the sword in his left hand before.

“I...really don't know,” he hesitated. “That just felt more natural, I guess. When I summon my Wakfu shield it's on my right arm too... Or at least it was, when I could do that.”

“I really thought you were left-handed because of that. It's strange, 'cause usually in two-handed combat you use your weapon with your dominant hand, it's only logical.”

Tristepin frowned thoughtfully, obviously trying to figure out the reason behind that oddity, and Yugo didn't have a better explanation either.

“Anyway, nevermind that,” the Iop said finally. “Now get into a defensive position.”

Yugo assumed the same position he had before, his sword straight up in front of his nose. Tristepin shook his head at him, and Yugo started to wonder if he was really that hopeless.

“Keeping your sword in front of your face like that is silly,” the Knight said. “If I strike hard enough, I'll kill you with your own weapon.”

To demonstrate, Tristepin pushed hard on the blade to hit Yugo on the forehead.

“Ouch! I understood you the first time! You don't need to hit me all the time to drill it in,” Yugo said, rubbing his sore brow.

“Like my Master always said, important lessons have to be struck into your skull to be remembered.”

“Yeah but I'm not Iop you know, in fact I'll understand _less_ if you keep hitting me on the head.”

“Well it's pretty obvious you're not a Iop. You fight like a pansy.”

“One point each, it's a draw,” Adamaï called.

“Shut up Ad'!”

“Come on now. Focus and listen,” Tristepin said sternly. Yugo nodded and took a deep calming breath, trying to ignore his brother's stupid giggles in the background.

“That's the spirit. So, about your defence problem. If you only try to block my attacks, it won't work, because I'm much stronger than you. Your only concern is to make sure I don't hit you, and to do that, you can either dodge or deflect.”

Tristepin went to retrieve the second wooden sword that was still on the ground.

“I'm really not worried for the 'dodge' part, since you can use your portals to move around. Now deflecting is more tricky. Let's try something. I'll attack you, and you're going to block it.”

“Okay, but―”

Yugo barely saw the attack coming. He raised his own sword just quickly enough to block it right on top of his head. For sure, when Tristepin trained, it wasn't a game. He pushed on Yugo's sword with such force that the boy had to put his other hand on the wooden blade to hold his ground.

“Perfect. Now attack me,” the Iop said casually.

“What? I can't!” Yugo grunted through gritted teeth. He had enough trouble to hold his position, and it was pretty obvious that if he stopped doing that Tristepin's sword would come crashing into his face immediately.

“Of course you can't. That's why blocking is useless,” Tristepin said as he lifted his blade, allowing Yugo to catch his breath. “Deflecting is much better, because that'll leave you in a position to counter-attack. So, I'm going to attack you again...” He smiled when Yugo immediately assumed a defensive position, expecting the attack to come just as quickly. “Nice, you're learning. Don't worry, we're going to do that in slow motion this time, because if you screw this up I might actually kill you for real. We'll practice the move a bit, then do it at the normal pace.”

“The pace where you can kill me, right?”

“Exactly. So I'm going to strike downwards again, and you'll meet the attack then deflect it to the side. Let's do it.”

Even though Tristepin said he would slow down, it still went a bit too fast for Yugo's comfort. But thanks to his quick reflexes, he timed his swing perfectly to meet his opponents blade and push it sideways as far as he could in a wide arc, nearly touching the ground. Then not knowing what to do next, he just froze, noticing that Tristepin didn't move either.

“See the difference?” the Knight asked.

“Yeah, it was much easier than blocking.”

“And?”

Yugo observed the awkward static position they were in.

“My blade is on top of yours, not below like before.”

“Exactly, so now you can attack me and I'll have a hard time defending. Let's do it again at normal speed.”

“What? We only did it once, and―”

Yugo understood that he had to be constantly wary, without realising it was exactly what Tristepin was trying to teach him. The attack came down faster than the last one and even with a wooden sword, any hit would hurt badly. Luckily for him Yugo managed to repeat the gesture perfectly, the swords meeting with a loud noise as the boy cleanly drove his opponent's blade sideways. Then he proceeded to strike back immediately, swinging his weapon at a seemingly defenceless Tristepin. 

It went much faster than his brain could process. A powerful hand grabbed his wrist just below the hilt of his sword, he felt his feet leave the ground which became the sky then the ground again, and the next second his back was slammed against the dirt, winding his breath out of him. He barely registered the sword pressing at his throat.

“That was very good!” Tristepin cheered.

“Very...good?” Yugo managed to articulate, bewildered. “You just...wasted me once more, I don't even know how.”

“Well of course I did, otherwise you were going to hit me. Still, the deflect move and then the counter-attack, it was very well done. You're learning quickly. But if you expected to hit me after ten minutes of training, you're going to be disappointed. Come on, let's do it again.”

“Wait, I need to rest for a sec,” Yugo said. He was still recovering from having his back painfully slammed flat on the ground.

Tristepin frowned at him severely. “Really? The day you'll get into a real fight and it's too difficult for you, that's what you're going to do? Ask the other guy to be nice enough to give you a little time out?”

“Come on Pinpin, it's not a real fight.”

“It is, or that means I'm not making it hard enough for you. If training doesn't prepare you for the real thing, it's useless. And if you think you're going to get a special treatment because you're a kid or something, you can forget about it, right here, right now. Now back on your feet and let's do it again.”

Yugo understood what his friend meant. Hard training, easy war. Even thought he would endure a lot more than he had bargained for, the training had to teach him to fight like his life depended on it, or he wouldn't survive a real sword-fight anyway. As the great friend he was, Tristepin did his best to make sure Yugo wouldn't get disillusioned the hard way.

Of course Yugo had found himself into many fights already, alone or with the Brotherhood. Even if he didn't win all of them, at least he survived every occasion. But trading his portals for a sword was entirely new, and even though it meant he had to start from scratch, he could see how this knowledge would have turned his fight against Qilby into something entirely different. More based on him actually winning, rather than being saved by a lucky intervention.

With the boy's motivation renewed, they kept on sparring. Yugo had always known the Ginger Knight to be a fierce warrior, but getting a first-hand experience of Tristepin's mastery of both sword-fighting and martial arts was impressive for sure. And painful too. Every single blow was carried out with full strength, making every defensive move on Yugo's part an exhausting effort. He ended up crashing in the dirt more times than he could count.

Whenever they had fought together, Yugo never doubted of Tristepin's worth as a fighter. The Knight always made it look like fighting was easy as he swung his Shushu-sword at the monster of the day. But Yugo started to understand how sword-fighting was all about quick thinking and careful decision-making rather than brute strength alone, and he realised how Tristepin's skill was in fact exceptional and people name-calling Iops for being idiots were far from the truth.

Sure, Iops weren't skilled for intellectual matters, but it was because they invested their cerebral capacities into a way of fighting that was just short of being an art. When Yugo fully realised that, he felt blessed and honoured to be trained by one of the best Iop warriors the World of Twelve had to offer.

Quickly, the young Eliatrope became better, and even if his skill couldn't begin to compare he was making good progress. Or at least, he wasn't as ridiculous and hopeless as when they had started.

For what felt like several hours they didn't slow down, with Tristepin driving Yugo to his physical limit. When fatigue made the boy accumulate mistakes, Tristepin deemed it was too dangerous to continue.

“It's time for the lunch break anyway,” the Iop said cheerfully.

“You're always hungry,” Yugo retorted in the middle of his heavy breathing. His whole body ached, and he felt dizzy. “How come you don't even look tired?”

“Because I spent all morning fighting a beginner half my size. How's that tiring? Anyway, are we getting back to work after lunch?” Tristepin asked eagerly.

“No, I'll spend the afternoon with Adamaï. I also need to learn how to summon those Wakfu weapons to make your training useful. And to be honest I don't feel like going through more of that today...”

“Pansy.”

“Iop-brain.”

They grinned sheepishly, and Yugo realised how they could taunt the hell out of each other and laugh about it.

The difficult moments they shared had glued them together like brothers. They were side by side in Rushu's arena, prepared to make their final stand. Tristepin was the only person who managed to cheer Yugo up when he was dealing with Adamaï's suffering. Then he was the last person Yugo spoke to before he took off to fight Qilby, an ordeal that drained him of his very last ounce of resolve, courage, and strength.

At that moment, Yugo fully realised how Tristepin had been a vital presence in his quest to find his origins. Sure, it all started with Yugo saving Tristepin from the possession of his Shushu, but everything afterwards would have failed badly if Tristepin wasn't part of their little group.

Yugo couldn't resist the urge to hug him. Tristepin laughed as he patted the top of the boy's hat gently. “What is this for?” he asked.

“Thanks for training me,” Yugo answered, looking up at the Ginger Knight. From the fond look they exchanged, it was clear both of them realised there was a lot more than that to explain Yugo's sudden outburst of affection.

“Bah, that's my pleasure,” Tristepin said kindly. “Like always.”

Adamaï joined them, with Az perched on top of his head and Rubilax in his hands. They all seemed to be getting along better every day, Yugo noted.

“The last part was a lot more interesting,” the Dragon said lightly. He handed the Shushu sword to Tristepin. “There seemed to be a real risk of grievous injury, and I liked it. With Rubi and Az we made a friendly bet about which limb you'd be the most likely to lose.”

“I chose the head,” the Shushu sneered. Then much to Yugo's surprise, Az chirped and waved a wing, showing how he had placed his own bet on the boy's right arm. That annoyed Yugo, and Adamaï could see it. “Joking aside, you got a lot better bro,” he concluded hastily.

“Not thanks to you,” the boy retorted.

“Oh come on, cry me a river. You're such a good client for taunts, it's hard to resist.” Adamaï jostled his brother in the ribs teasingly. “Anyway, sorry Pinpin, but we have work to do. I'll let you kill my brother another day, I promise.”

“For the love of everything that's sacred, I'd never harm my best buddy. You do know that, don't you Yugo?” Tristepin asked as he turned towards the worn Eliatrope with a worried look.

Yugo smiled back warmly. “Of course Pinpin. I know you do that for my own good, don't worry. Besides, I asked for it.”

“Indeed! We're cool then. See you tomorrow?”

“For sure.”

The Ginger Knight turned his back on them and walked away, whistling happily. Yugo felt light-headed from the exhaustion, his knees somewhat weak and shaking. Adamaï looked at his him cautiously.

“Everything's all right bro? You look a bit pale,” he said.

For all answer, Yugo doubled over and vomited on the ground.

“Ewww. You didn't eat enough at breakfast? You're running low on sugar or something?”

Yugo straightened up cautiously, fighting his body's urge to pass out. “No, I don't need sugar...” he said with a weak smile, holding his ribs. “I just had too much Tristepin.”

 

* * *

 

“Iop-brain,” Akula hissed angrily at the ginger, broad man who just pushed Lucien aside in the crowd. The streets were wide enough, but they were packed with onlookers and tourists, too much for the Sram's comfort. And Akula didn't make it any better.

“Stop throwing insults at random people, you'll drag us in a fight,” Lucien warned.

“Would it be such a bad thing?”

The Sram sighed from the exasperation. “If you get us into trouble, I'll use only the sabres for a whole month.”

“Meanie.”

They were strolling into one of the main arteries of Brakmar, lined on both sides with hundreds of shops selling everything they could ever want. It was as noisy at it could get, with merchants playing a stupid game of who would hail their potential clients the loudest. As they kept on wandering, finally Lucien spotted a darker, quieter alley.

“Let's have a look over there. Feels a lot more bearable than the main street.”

Much less people walked around them now, and Lucien quickly noticed that most of the shops were selling things that would have been illegal anywhere else in the world, including living people for different purposes. Lucien cast the owner of a slave shop a dirty look as he moved on.

“Nothing we can do about it,” Akula said sympathetically.

“I know,” Lucien answered curtly. They turned at the next intersection.

“Shaggy's Shushus Shack,” Lucien read aloud as they walked in front of a little boutique that wasn't much to look at otherwise.

“Sounds promising. Very few people are brave enough to trade Shushus, even in Brakmar.”

“Brave or stupid, I'm curious now.”

“I'll keep you safe, don't worry Lulu,” Akula sneered.

The shop was larger than it seemed from the outside, brightly lit with many torches, and filled with demon possessed objects of all kinds, shapes and colours. Numerous swords and other classic weapons covered the stone walls, and several tables curved under the weight of trinkets and baubles which use was much less obvious. Lucien knew prison-objects could be pretty much anything, but 'anything' covered some very curious stuff that he would never have imagined.

He gave a prolonged and curious look to a Shushu whose shape didn't leave any doubt about its purpose. The demon glared back at him. “I've made more women scream than anything you'll ever meet,” he sneered.

“You'd be surprised,” Akula retorted before Lucien could say anything. “Although we're not talking about the same kind of screams I'm afraid.”

At that moment every Shushu in the room noticed Akula. Then they all started jeering and whistling as one.

“Hey sexy lady, want to see my big sword?”

“What's that weakling you're hanging out with? I can get ten times larger than him!”

“See why I hate them all?” the Shushu lady yelled to cover the cacophony. “They're uncouth, brutish, lacking any class. They only understand basic urges like rampaging everything and so on.”

“Don't worry, I don't plan to exchange you with any of them.” Akula flashed him an outraged stare for even considering the idea. “I'm just having a look around, keep calm.”

“Shut up, Shushus!” came an angry bellowing from the back shop. The storekeeper emerged, and his rather expansive black hair made it clear where his nickname 'Shaggy' came from. He had the dark blue skin typical of the Osamodas, and somehow managed to be more wide than tall. He immediately cast a glance at Akula, then smiled at Lucien.

“Greetings dear customer. I can see you're not one of those tourists who think they can visit my shop like it's a zoo or something. You're here to buy?”

“Actually I was just here to play the tourist,” Lucien replied politely. “And also wondering, do you have a license to sell that kind of...merchandise?”

“A license, in Brakmar?” The plump man emitted a raucous chuckle. “Let's just say I can put enough money in the hands that matter, and it's all the licenses I need. This job doesn't require a license anyway. It takes someone who will never fall for their dirty tricks to get free.”

“Show-off,” sneered a rather threateningly large war hammer on the wall. Shaggy cast him a dark glance and the Shushu didn't insist. Lucien was surprised to see the man have such authority over demons, but maybe it was the same Osamodas' trait that worked with wild animals.

“Anyway, what are you looking for? Weaponry? Mass-killing tools?”

“I'm already equipped for that,” Lucien retorted, raising his right arm to show Akula on his wrist. The Shushu casually extended her blade while fluttering her eyelashes seductively.

“It's...rather small,” Shaggy noted.

“Size doesn't matter, it's how you use it,” Akula jeered. Lucien raised an eyebrow but he said nothing.

“Fair enough. What else then? I have shields, armours, jewellery...”

Lucien hesitated. He hoped to find something he didn't already see before. “Anything more original than that?”

“Hmm...I might have something for you, it's original enough not to be on sale. Follow me.”

Shaggy led them to the back shop, a small, badly lit room with a workshop occupying most of the space. More Shushus were stored there, and Lucien could understand why. Every one of them looked battered and worn, blunt blades, dented shields, and nobody in his right mind would ever spend a single kama on them.

“It's all the broken stuff I'm refurbishing to make them saleable,” Shaggy explained. “Shushus are extremely resilient, but given enough abuse they'll waver like anything else. These little guys here have been through a lot. Anyway, here's the thing I wanted to show you.”

He gestured them towards a furry black cloak laying on the workbench, its single eye encased into a golden frame. The eye kept staring upwards, as if the Shushu didn't notice them.

“I've no idea what it is,” Shaggy said.

“Well, it's a cloak,” Lucien offered.

“Thank you very much, mister obvious. I can see it's a cloak, but I don't know what it does. He didn't say a word since he arrived here yesterday. I have some contacts who provide me with unknown Shushus to resell, as long as I don't ask stupid questions, like, 'How did you get this?' and, 'Does your government know about this?'”

Lucien nodded as he understood perfectly well what it meant. He was not entitled to judge about the morality of other people's businesses, but if it was bad enough to justify an execution he would know soon enough anyway.

“This one here was on a boat a few days ago, and I got it for a handful of kamas since no one knows what it's really worth. Apparently it was buried at the bottom of a mine when they found it first, that's why it looks all ragged like that.”

Lucien suddenly felt Akula constricting around his wrist almost painfully to get his attention. He raised her close to his face.

“We have to get out of here,” she whispered urgently.

“What's up? It's just a cloak.”

“It's not _just a cloak_. Listen to me for once. We need to get away.”

Lucien sighed heavily. It wasn't the first time she threw a tantrum when other Shushus were around, and Lucien knew why. Her only fear was to be abandoned again. And every time there was a remote possibility that another Shushu would enter their lives, she became irrational and jealous. It wasn't anything new.

She was the only reason Lucien had to use regular sabres. He had found twin Shushus years before that were perfect for the job, but Akula became so irritable in their presence that he finally had to get rid of them.

There was no doubt in his mind that she was acting like a child again, just because he found a ragged Shushu-cloak to be remotely interesting.

“A problem?” Shaggy asked.

“No,” Lucien answered lightly. “Did you try putting it on?”

“Yes. It does nothing.”

“May I try?”

For all answer, Shaggy gestured him towards the cloak. Lucien put his hands on the thick black fur, realising that the cloak was likely much better looking before being buried in a cave for a while. The black fabric had been punctured all over. In any case, a Shushu cloak was unheard of, and...

Lucien noticed that for the first time, all the Shushus around were silent. They stared intently at him, as if they were...afraid of something. Then he looked down and realised that the one eye of the Shushu-cloak had moved to meet his own gaze.

Pain.

Lucien had a life-long experience of pain, every sorts of pain, but the pain of someone or _something_ brutally forcing the entrance to his mind was definitely a new kind of pain.

“What an interesting little worm of a human we have here...” came a deep, growling voice. “Your soul is so dark, I've never seen anything quite like this with a human.”

Lucien had lost touch with the real world, and he realised he heard the voice right inside his head. Scenes from his recent contracts came back to him. The Shushu was probing into his memories.

_I'm going to die_ , Lucien thought as the pain flared.

“Oh no, don't worry about that. I'm just having a little look around. So you kill people for your master? At least we have that in common.”

Images flashed before him as he watched impotently as the Shushu searched his past, reading his life, _knowing_ him, back earlier and earlier.

“How can a mere human be filled with so much bitterness. What did they inflict on you that made you so _cynical_?”

Memories from his first years as an agent of the Guild came back, from his time as an idealistic youth, correcting the injustice he had been the victim of.

“That's some youthful naiveté I see there, when you still thought some humans had good inside of them. I've seen into countless humans, both figuratively and literally. They're always filled with rot.”

His training at the Guild passed before his eyes, when he was barely more than a boy. The Master had taught him personally everything there was to know about sword-fighting, infiltration and assassination. He was thirteen on the day he killed his first man. He had hoped that swift, bloody justice would sate his hunger for vengeance. It didn't.

“He hurt you, so you hurt him, only to find out that it doesn't make the pain go away.”

Lucien wished the pain would go away. It was like a drill piercing through his skull.

A little boy, a skeleton with skin, begged on the streets of Brakmar to starve more slowly. If he hadn't crossed the path of the Master, his pitiful life would have ended just like that.

“You weren't pampered, that's for sure. Everyone learns that life isn't fair eventually, but you didn't waste any time finding that out.”

At six years old he didn't understand much, but he did remember. He lived with his single mother in a tiny room under the roof of a large, lavish manor in Brakmar. He was not allowed into the building, but he sneaked out often, developing his gift for discretion. His mother was doing chores for the owner. She didn't get paid, and they were starving.

At that time Lucien didn't realise they were slaves, but he didn't realise much anyway.

Then one day the owner decided he had had enough of them. He wanted a younger, prettier slave, for different purposes, and most of all one that didn't have a little kid to feed. He showed up into their room armed with a sword.

“It's time to terminate your employment, leach,” the owner said.

“You're selling me?” his mother asked fearfully. She always spoke with fear when the man was present.

The parody of a man laughed. “Who would want to buy a thing like you?” He drew his sword. “No, you're going to entertain me until your bits stop twitching.”

In an instant, his mother dropped her frightened façade. “Lucien, run,” she ordered.

“What? But—“

“I said _run!”_ She lifted him up off his feet and thrust him out through the open window. He fell, rolling and bumping down the slanted roof, Brakmar's red cityscape swirling around him. He caught himself on the gutter, his legs dangling over the edge, and for the last time in his life he saw his mother.

The man pulled her from the window as Lucien's fingers slipped, and he heard a scream as he hit the ground. He fled the manor grounds and hid among the streets, always nearby, waiting for his mother to find her own way out, to find _him_.

She never did.

_Are you_ _happy now?_ he thought bitterly as the Shushu still tortured him.

“I am. A human who has good reasons to hate humans. The occasion is too good to pass. I could possess you, make you my toy, but that would be an incredible waste of potential. We could achieve great things together. If you get me out of here, we'll discuss a plan to make your dreams of seeing the world burn come true.”

_And if I don't?_

“Then nothing. I'll wait for the next worthy candidate. I'll release you now, so the rest is up to you.”

Lucien came back to reality just as abruptly as he had left it. He was surprised to see he was still standing, his shaking hands still on the cloak.

“What happened?” he asked urgently.

“What...what?” Shaggy answered, confused.

“What did I do just now?”

“Nothing. You just put your hands on that thing. What is that supposed to mean?”

Lucien realised his own private nightmare had lasted for only a moment. But he didn't doubt it actually happened, albeit only inside his own head. The Shushu-cloak was still looking at him, and he knew enough about what a Shushu could express with only its single eye to know what relaxed confidence was like.

There wasn't much of a doubt anyway. He knew perfectly well it was a dangerous move to trust a Shushu, but the beast had touched him into some parts of his mind that had been hurting forever. Countless people everywhere were maintained into various degrees of servitude by an unfair society, and fate just sent his way a powerful ally who promised he would allow him to make a difference. An occasion too good to pass indeed. Curiosity got the better of his judgement, and Akula's whimper didn't change anything.

“It does nothing but it's rather unique,” Lucien said calmly. “Let's say, fifty kamas?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Illustrations by the wonderful[Pappis](http://pappcave.tumblr.com)_
> 
> _Sorry for the long wait! I'm trying to do a chapter each month, and with a size equivalent to one chapter, Memories kinda replaced the last update. It was intended to be a side thing, and real life unexpectedly got in the way, leaving me with too little free time for everything._
> 
> _Nothing much to say about this chapter except I had to split it earlier than intended seeing how the length was getting out of control. The fighting scene between Yugo and Tristepin was a pleasure to write, after all what is a good moment for Tristepin apart from a good fight? Also I'm sorry if I offended sword-fighting purists, I don't know anything about it and had to look up online for some hopefully reliable info. The right-handed shield seems to be a real oddity, and yes, it's in the show. Here is the most funny thing I came across about it :_
> 
> _“Stabbing, slashing, or punching a disabling blow is going to take a lot of strength, and if any civilization used its dominant arm for shielding instead of swording, it's not likely to have lasted long enough to have a written history.”_
> 
> _I have no clue how well I'm doing with those OCs, so if there's something you don't like about them feel free to tell, it's never too late to correct mistakes._
> 
> _A Iop, a Cra and an Enutrof play nose goes. Why does the Iop always lose?_


	5. Deal with the Devil

In a world made up of faint blue energy, life stood out like a beacon. He was in that world, but he also wasn't, just an observer who wandered unnoticed around things and beings alike, passing walls and obstacles like a ghost.

Yugo knew it was just a different way to see his own world, but still it felt like he was somewhere else entirely.

“You're getting there?” Adamaï's voice asked from afar. Yugo knew his brother was right in front of him, but his voice felt like a whisper in the distance. Yugo nodded for all answer. He felt in control, confident. 

Part of the exercise required him to feel like he was missing someone. That was easy, because he actually did miss someone.

_Amalia._

They lived in the same place, yet between the Princess' duties and Yugo's training they barely talked in days. The young Eliatrope had been wanting to spend some time with her, and that exercise was a perfect occasion to let her know.

As Yugo concentrated on that feeling of loss he hated, Amalia appeared brighter than anything else in the middle of hundreds of other presences in the palace. Yugo moved closer quickly.

And his breath caught abruptly as he felt like he was falling, away from his body, into the blue void.

“Adamaï!” Yugo yelled in panic, his own voice nearly drowned in the distance. He felt strong little arms grab his chest and hold him firmly.

“I'm here,” the Dragon said gently. “Don't freak out. Feel my arms on your body, feel the grass you're sitting on, feel the breeze on your skin. You're here with me bro. You're not getting lost. Not on my watch.”

It was the real danger of this particular training. Yugo was trying to project his conscience and 'see' things at a great distance from where he actually was. They were deep into the Sadida forest, miles away from the palace. And letting his mind wander that far away from his body was a good way to get lost. If he didn't keep part of his attention to where his body really was, his mind would never find its way back.

As Yugo concentrated on the sensations from the real world, the disorientating feeling subsided. He let his breathing slow down and found his calm centre again.

“You're good?” Adamaï asked, and his voice felt much closer than before.

“Yeah, thank you.”

“No worries. Take it nice and easy, don't rush it. If you think the palace is too far and you can't do it, we'll just move closer and try again.”

“I can do it”, Yugo answered firmly.

The little Dragon sighed. “Look, there's nothing to win here. That's a pretty stupid way to die if you ask me. Make sure it doesn't happen, or I'll make you regret it somehow.”

Yugo cracked a smile at this. Adamaï let go of him, but Yugo knew his brother wouldn't be more than a few inches away if something went wrong. The young Eliatrope started propelling his mind towards the palace again, towards the bright blue dot that had to be Amalia, carefully, making sure he kept the link with his body. 

This time he managed it perfectly. His mind was now in the room with Amalia. He could see her sitting at a desk covered with papers, obviously doing boring Princess work. Gathering all his concentration and might while also making sure he didn't let go of his body, Yugo commanded a small portal to open right next to Amalia.

To his own surprise, it succeeded. 

“It works! Quick, give me the flower bro.”

“That's really cheesy you know.”

“Ad! Just do it,” Yugo insisted, extending his hand. He felt Adamaï put the flower into his palm, the one Yugo had carefully chosen before they got started, large and colourful just the way Amalia liked them.

Yugo quickly reached through to pin the flower into Amalia's hair. She looked around just as the portal closed. Yugo grinned gleefully as the young Sadida grabbed the flower and stared at it, obviously clueless as to where it came from. He couldn't see the details of her face, but he imagined the confusion he just caused.

“Cool! That worked out perfectly,” Yugo said gleefully.

“You got to be kidding me,” Adamaï said with exasperation. “On the first try, really? I don't know, you could pretend you're struggling a bit, so I don't feel that lame.”

Yugo chuckled at this. “That's Eliatrope stuff bro. Ask me to breathe out fire if you want to see me struggle.”

“Fair enough. Now you just have to come back―”

“No, let me do something else.”

“That's not a good idea Yugo,” Adamaï warned. “You're pushing yourself too far again.”

Yugo shushed at his brother. He felt he knew perfectly well what he was doing, and Adamaï was being a killjoy again. With his mind still with Amalia, the young Eliatrope opened a new portal, this time aiming for the door, and knocked. Again he managed to disappear before Amalia could notice anything. 

As she got up and went to open the door, Yugo summoned another portal over the desk, trying to grab a pencil and write a few words before the girl could spot him. That was especially strange to see his own hand appear into the room. He couldn't see exactly what he was writing so he hoped it would be somewhat readable. 'If you can, see you at dinner―'

Yugo's blood froze as he felt something strong and snake-like grab his wrist beyond the portal. Adamaï must have felt his sudden surprise as Yugo didn't even have time to yelp before his brother clang onto him. Next thing he knew, they were both abruptly dragged through the portal.

Yugo had a momentarily lapse of reason as he tried to adjust to the way he could see himself without actually being himself. More of those cold, snake-like things grabbed him, holding him off the ground. The slightly painful way they constricted his body made it easier for him to get back to his senses.

He opened his eyes to face Amalia, who was upside-down ―no, _he_ was upside down― and he realised the things holding him were Amalia's magical vines. He glanced sideways to see Adamaï trapped in the same way.

“Err...” Yugo started awkwardly.

“Ha! I knew it was you two,” Amalia said triumphantly. “Nobody else designs pranks that are so elaborate yet stupid at the same time. Anyway, you're charged with interference in the Princess' royal duties. What do you have to say for your defence?”

“I told him it was a stupid idea?” Adamaï proposed.

“That's not going to work, you're accomplices by default,” Amalia observed. Yugo knew very well how she liked to make the most out of any situation where she had the upper hand, so he just stared flatly at her, having no choice but to hang and sway helplessly like a ripe fruit until she decided to release them.

“So?” Amalia insisted.

Yugo sighed with exasperation. She couldn't just let go, couldn't she? “I wanted to invite you for dinner tonight, but I'm changing my mind now,” he retorted flatly.

“Oh come on. You wanted to make fun of me, and it backfired. Just admit it, and I might consider sparing you the galleys.”

“This was actually part of a very important training,” Yugo insisted.

“Technically, no,” Adamaï cut in. “It was just about you not knowing when to stop again.”

Yugo glared silently at his brother, then back at Amalia, who was still smirking at them. “Are you going to let us hang like that until we dry?”

“Oh, that's right.”

Without warning, the magical jungle plants disappeared and released the twins, letting them crash loudly onto the ground. As Yugo got back on his feet and wiped the dust off his clothes, Amalia was already holding the door open for them.

“That's a yes by the way. For dinner tonight.”

“I told you, I've changed my mind.”

“Don't make me regret I didn't strangle you,” Amalia jeered as she pushed them out and closed the door behind them. 

 

* * *

 

From the years he had spent alone on the streets as a child, Lucien had come to know everything about Brakmar. Every dark passageway, every secluded corner, every derelict project of grand architecture that met a premature end had provided him with places he could sleep in, away from the all the bad encounters he could have made, somewhat soothing his fear of never waking up.

He didn't have use for that knowledge in years, but it came in handy now he needed a place to discuss plans for worldwide chaos, away from every prying eyes and eavesdroppers around. The Guild would have been a terrible place for that. Sure he had privacy in his own quarters, but that was definitely not secure enough.

As he tried to squeeze his way through the crumbling walls of an abandoned building site, he remembered he was much smaller the last time he had come here. But after treading carefully through the ruins for a while, he managed to reach the place he was looking for.

Lucien stood on a little secluded terrace overlooking the city and the large lava lake below. He was pretty sure no one had come here in decades beside himself. He took the furry Shushu-cloak off his shoulders and put it down on a flat rock, then he sat on the opposite side of the terrace. They hadn't exchanged a single word since they had left the shop. The Shushu was looking at him with his single eye, calm and confident. It felt like he had all the time in the world, and no doubt that Lucien was going to make up his own mind.

“May I say something?” Akula suddenly interjected to break the silence, startling both Lucien and the Shushu-cloak.

“Um, sure,” Lucien mumbled warily. He entirely expected Akula to start another rant.

“It's not too late Lucien. Just throw that foul thing into the lava below and let's get back to our regular routine of killing stuff all day long.”

The cloak emitted a growling, beast-like laugh. “Looks like you haven't changed Akula. Still so snide and ungrateful.”

“On the other hand, you've changed a lot my dear Anathar,” Akula retorted. “Last time you where a bit less... cloaky. And defenceless. Sorry to destroy your illusions, but I'm not going to let my Lulu fall into your dirty tricks, and there's nothing you can do about it.”

“Hold on,” Lucien cut in before the Shushu-cloak had the chance to snarl back. “You know each other already?”

“Yes,” the cloak said. “Ages ago, when humans first managed to create a portal to the Shukrute, that little pest here found it smart to sneak through and have some fun on her own in the humans' world, instead of fighting for her people.”

“You were _never_ my people,” Akula snapped. “You're only a bunch of retards, who can't understand that the only thing you'll gain after you destroy everything is the privilege to bore yourselves to death for the eternity. Except you can't actually die, which makes it only worse.”

“The plan was never to _destroy_ everything, only to enslave all humans and make them venerate King Rushu so he becomes the one true god. But I don't expect someone who has so little sense of honour and duty to understand that. You're only an egoistical, whiny little bi―”

“Okay, we got the message,” Lucien interrupted. “You hate each other, all right. But Akula's correct. If I'm not happy with what you have to say, all I have to do is ditch you into the river below and see how fireproof you are.”

“Because you think I'd let you do that without possessing you immediately?” Anathar growled menacingly.

“I could lift you with a stick or something,” Lucien observed. “I guess you can't possess a stick right?”

The cloak stayed silent, frowning at Lucien in a somewhat offended way. The Sram assumed it was because he was technically right, and the Shushu was proud enough that he couldn't cope with the idea of such a shameful demise.

“Anyway,” Lucien continued, “you didn't tell me exactly what you were offering me.”

“A nudge into the right direction.”

“... Care to elaborate?” Lucien asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I saw your memories of the meeting you had with your Master earlier today,” Anathar explained. “The world is already on the brink of war. All you need is a catalysing event.”

“For example, an attack we could blame on the Eliatropes.”

“Exactly.”

“I've been thinking about that,” Lucien admitted. “But I can't do it on my own, this plan is just too ambitious. To do it properly and take care of all the loose ends, you'll need several agents, spies, assassins, everything. I'm not sure I can convince anyone to follow that kind of plan, and even if I do, the Master will hear about it and skin me alive for treason.”

“That's where you need me. I'll do the convincing.”

“Well... let's admit you can do that. You can only possess one person at a time right? Even if it's two of us, there's not much we can do, especially when the rest of the Guild is still there to stop us.”

“Unless I take control of the one person everyone answers to. Yes, I can possess your Master the same way I've possessed you, and no one will ever notice anything. No one will ever know I'm in charge in his place.”

Lucien raised an eyebrow. At first he intended to say it was impossible, but if all he needed to do was to put Anathar in contact with the Master, in fact it would be quite easy. Then he remembered what it had felt to be possessed by the Shushu for even a few moments.

“No way,” he said adamantly. “I owe him my life. I can't let you do that to him.”

“He'll be dead in a few weeks anyway,” Anathar retorted dismissively. “Are you ready to forsake the meaning of your life over some stupid point of honour?”

The Sram didn't answer. That proposition put two of his strongest motives in direct conflict with each other, and he couldn't decide.

“Can't you make it... less terrible?” he asked hopefully.

Anathar chuckled viciously. “I'm not obliged to make him relive his own shitty childhood, if that's what you mean. But I can't make the possession a pleasant experience. It's not like I wouldn't want to be nice. If people were consenting to it, it would be painless. But it's when people they to resist that it becomes rather... displeasing. And they all do.”

Lucien's jaw set. Of course the Master would try to resist, he was a stubborn man. On the other hand, they didn't have much time to act before either the Kingdoms found a peaceful solution to their diplomatic issues by themselves, or the Guild forced them to do so. And if the Master died too quickly, Lucien had good chances to be kicked out of the Guild, or worse, and he would be unable to approach the new one.

If they planned to do anything, they had no other choice than to do it very quickly.

“Anyway, what's in for you?” Lucien asked to switch subjects. “Why would you want to help me? Because unless you've misunderstood my intentions, it's not about enslaving everyone and forcing them to pray Rushu. Quite the opposite actually.”

Anathar's gaze turned into a vicious stare, and if Lucien ever saw a way to express pure hatred with a single eye, that was it.

“ _Vengeance_. That's what I want. The Eliatropes have betrayed my people, betrayed my Master, and betrayed _me_. Their little schemes are the reason why I ended up buried into a cave, forced to summon my prison-object just to survive.”

“That's pretty humiliating, especially for a Shushu,” Akula explained casually.

“Exactly. I'll give you a war, if you give me my revenge in return. What's left of the Eliatropes' people are waiting to be rescued in some extra-dimensional sanctuary, out of reach. But there's a few of them in the world already. Just bring me a living Eliatrope, and I'll use him to destroy his own people, right where they're hiding. _That_ would be a fitting vengeance. And as far as I'm concerned, that would make for an acceptable deal.”

“Not for me,” Akula sneered. “I've still my word to say about this, and you didn't exactly plead your case when you called me a whiny bi―”

“Time out guys,” Lucien interrupted again. He sighed, feeling suddenly tired. The responsibility resting on his shoulders had become that much heavier, as he now had to decide if his own Master and an entire people of innocent children were acceptable sacrifices for his cause, on top of the war casualties he had already considered.

“From what I've heard, Eliatropes are rather tough,” Lucien observed.

“I've never said it would be easy,” Anathar retorted. “What you're asking me is difficult too. Being only a mere human, if you engage an Eliatrope in direct combat, I'd say you're toast. But you're a Sram. Isn't the whole point of your kind to kill without actually fighting?”

“You want him alive.”

“Fair point, but you can still use stealth and cunning instead of brute force. Anyway, that's your problem. Deliver an Eliatrope, and I'll deliver a war.”

Lucien nodded slowly. “I'll need more time to think it over,” he concluded. “I'll give you an answer after I've talked with Akula. Privately.”

“I'll be waiting,” the Shushu-cloak said casually. “Not like I can do much more in the meantime.”

“You could learn to be nice,” Akula proposed.

“You could learn to shut up,” Anathar retorted.

Lucien sighed tiredly. “You could both learn to get along,” he concluded. “Because if that deal works out, we're going to spend a lot of time together.”

 

* * *

 

Yugo sighed sadly, for the tenth time over an hour, as he waited alone on a couch in the comfortable lounge adjacent to their quarters at the Sadida palace. Without surprise, but much to the boy's disappointment, Amalia had been too busy to turn up for dinner. Instead she sent a messenger to tell Yugo to wait if he could. A good thing Tristepin, Evangelyne and Ruel had been there to cheer him up. 

Adamaï was already off to bed, and Az had passed out, neatly snuggled in the crook of the boy's arm. But despite the exhausting day he had gone through, Yugo was determined to try his best to keep his eyes open, for the promise of a moment to spend with Amalia, the only one in weeks. 

To kill time, Yugo had fetched Grufon. He asked the Shushu-map to show him random places around the planet. At first the boy thought they had already seen a lot during their adventures, but then he was amazed to realise how much of the world was left to explore. Grufon randomly picked a bit of everything, from barren landscapes to lush jungles and icy mountains. A lot of those places were uninhabited, making Yugo wonder if one of them could be the future homeland of his own people. 

The place Phaeris had left to seek on his own, the boy thought bitterly.

“The land of Desimorpe,” Grufon announced flatly, as a huge expanse of verdant meadows appeared on the map.

“Looks rather nice,” Yugo said brightly. “How many people live there?”

“If by 'people' you mean 'humans', none.”

“How come it already has a name then?”

“How would I know?” Grufon grumbled. “I'm not a possessed history book.”

Yugo chuckled as he stroked the map's soft tassels absent-mindedly.

“Don't do that,” Grufon snapped abruptly.

“What?”

“That. With your fingers. Don't do it.”

“Why not?” Yugo asked with a raised eyebrow, confused by the Shushu's heated reaction. “I like it. Not my fault if you have those fluffy things. Does it hurt?”

“No, it feels nice, and I don't want _you_ to make me feel nice.”

“But what if I _do_ want you to feel nice?”

“Why... Why would you want to do such a thing?” Grufon asked, and Yugo could perfectly see just how afraid the Shushu was.

“Cause I like you,” the boy answered playfully with a large grin.

“NO!” Grufon yelled in horror, startling Az. Yugo petted the soft feathers ball who dozed off quickly. 

“You can't say things like that, kiddo!” Grufon went on, terrified. “I'm always doing everything I can so you don't get anywhere, end up into traps, risk your life even. How can you still like me after that?”

“Whatever you say, without you we would never have found Oma,” Yugo insisted kindly. “I wouldn't have met Adamaï, and it's the best thing that ever happened to me. What's the big deal anyway? Does it mean you fail as a Shushu if I like you?”

“Of course it does! I'm supposed to torment you every way I can, and you're supposed to hate me in return!”

“All those nasty things you do, that's in your nature,” Yugo explained patiently. “I do portals because I'm an Eliatrope, you betray us ten times a day because you're a Shushu. I can't hate you just because of what you are, especially after everything you did for us. But just out of curiosity... if I say I _love_ you, is it worse?”

Grufon stared at the boy with wide open, terrified eyes. “You―You wouldn't dare!” he squawked pitifully. Then when he saw the mischievous grin on Yugo's face, he suddenly curled up into a tight roll and didn't move. 

Yugo chuckled as he edged closer to the Shushu. “I love you Grufon,” he whispered softly.

“No! Leave me alone!” came a muffled scream from inside the map.

At that moment Yugo's vision went dark. Two soft hands came over his eyes from behind him, then someone kissed the top of his hat.

“You shouldn't torment the poor thing like that,” Amalia chastised him.

“I wouldn't do that if I wasn't bored to death waiting for someone who's a few hours _late_ ,” Yugo retorted with a smirk. He grabbed Amalia's wrists and turned to see her. She wore her usual princess attire, and he noticed how tired she looked with those dark shadows under her eyes.

“Believe me when I say I'd rather spend that time with you,” the Princess said with a sigh. “The sun is setting soon, you want to go see it with me?”

“That would be cool,” Yugo answered with a broad grin.

He put a still sleeping Az between the plump cushions to make sure the little Tofu felt cosy enough. Then they made their way to the balcony, discussing their respective reasons for being busy most of the time. Yugo realised how much he had missed his friend as he felt joyful and started grinning sheepishly just because of a little chitchat.

After they had both explained at length what their daily routine was like, the conversation died out. They stood with their hands on the wooden railing, enjoying the view as the last few sun rays of the day warmed their faces.

“You miss our adventures?” Yugo asked softly.

“Of course I do,” Amalia answered with nostalgia, smiling back at him. “That was great not knowing what tomorrow would be made of. But we don't have a new adventure waiting for us now. Of course I could find any pretext to turn my back to my duties and my people, but it's not something I could do without feeling guilty.”

Her words hit Yugo unexpectedly hard. After all, wasn't it exactly what he was doing? Wasn't he using a mere nightmare as a pretext to disregard his own royal duties for as long as he possibly could? Amalia must have noticed his worried look as she moved closer and put an arm around his shoulders.

“Don't worry about that Yugo,” she said softly. “You have years before your people can come back. There's no need to stress over it right now.”

Yugo nodded and tried his best to smile. She didn't understand, as she didn't know he was actually King of the Eliatropes, but he couldn't explain either.

“I know about that nightmare you had,” Amalia continued, and Yugo met her gaze with surprise. “I know it's the reason why you don't want to leave.” He stared at her silently, not knowing what to say.

“Dad told me,” she explained. “I think he's right when he says it's just a nightmare and there's nothing to fear.”

“So you think I'm crazy because I believe there's more to it?” Yugo asked with bitterness in his voice.

“No, of course not,” Amalia said softly. “What happened at the Crimson Claws has taken its toll on you, that's all. It'll get better.”

They had never talked much about it, especially not the part where Qilby had wiped the floor with him. With the way Amalia always seemed to overly care about him, Yugo doubted that she really wanted to know just how bad it had been.

“But what if it's not just a dream?” he insisted.

Amalia sighed with her gaze on the horizon. “Then we'll deal the best we can with whatever terrible things fate sends our way again. But honestly, we can't be threatened of extinction all the time. It already happened twice over the last year, but that was exceptional, obviously. If the world found itself on the verge of collapse every few months or so, we'd be long gone.”

Yugo could only agree, knowing perfectly well how close they had been of a final and complete disaster. And he felt terrible about both occasions. The first because he nearly killed Nox which would have sealed the fate of the whole Sadida people ―and Yugo had never told anyone about it, another dark secret of his― and then the last time... “Last time had something to do with us. With my people, and me. I kinda... made it happen.”

Amalia shook her head at him firmly. “You can't blame yourself for that. No one does, especially not the Sadida. We know who saved us.”

“Some of the people who attended the council seemed to think otherwise,” he replied bitterly.

“You still have a lot to understand about politics Yugo. It's not only about you and the Eliatropes, it's more like an excuse to have some leverage and influence. Some people are using these events to weaken my father's authority, and it could be any other pretext for that matter. Don't think too much about it. If my father says it's okay, that means it's okay.”

Yugo nodded silently as he found nothing relevant to add. Before them, the sun was slowly diving below the horizon, gradually shifting to a glorious red glow. They stared at it in silence for a long while.

“That's beautiful,” Yugo whispered.

“Hmm. Days are getting shorter though. What is autumn like at Emelka?”

“A lot of rain, with a high chance of rain,” Yugo said with a smirk. “Then in the winter it all turns into snow. I hate the cold.”

“It's much better here, just a bit colder than usual, but I've never seen a single snowflake. Are you going to stay? What have you planned for the next months?”

“I... I don't know yet. Dad will have to move back to Emelka soon, he can't leave the inn unattended for that long.”

“You know my father is delighted to welcome you here, as long as Alibert keeps bringing him those piles of unhealthy food.”

Yugo laughed heartily at that. King Sheran Sharm sure was a good client for Alibert's cooking. “I know, but Dad won't like doing nothing for too long. He likes to deserve what he earns, you see.” 

“So you're moving back with him?”

The boy kept his stare on the horizon, his expression darkening again as the true reason of his extended stay crept back into his mind. The expanse of lush vegetation under the glorious sunset was so beautiful, he found it difficult to believe it could be destroyed one day. Yet Nox had almost managed to do so...

Amalia was looking at him closely, and he avoided her gaze. She sighed. “Your nightmare again, right?”

Yugo nodded with his jaw set.

“You really shouldn't worry about it that much, it's unhealthy for you. Even if you move back to Emelka with your Dad, I'm sure we can use something like those magical Tofu feathers to keep in touch. And if anything happens, you'll know.”

“The worst part will be to miss you,” Yugo said softly. “And all my friends, and not knowing when we'll see each other again.”

Amalia gave him a warm, sympathetic smile as she moved closer to kiss him on the cheek.

“Wouldn't you say that we are... more than friends?” she asked somewhat playfully.

Yugo thought he knew Amalia pretty well, but for once he found it impossible to decipher the look on her face. It didn't look like she was making fun of him, but she wasn't entirely serious either.

“I... What do you mean?” Yugo asked confusedly.

“Well, with all the time we spend together already... and we care about each other, right?”

“Er, yeah?” the boy said slowly, trying to catch up. It felt like he had missed an important episode.

“So?” She asked with that sly smile again, eliciting nothing but a blank stare from Yugo.

Then it struck him. “Of course!” he exclaimed with a large grin. “Yeah, I feel the same towards you. You mean we're best friends, right?”

The disappointed look on Amalia's face took him aback. 

“Right?” he insisted hopefully.

“Yeah yeah, we're the best friends in the world,” Amalia said dismissively. “It's getting late, and we both need to rest. Good night Yugo.”

She turned her back on him and headed back inside, leaving the boy frozen on the spot as he tried to understand what the hell had just happened. He replayed the conversation in his mind, trying to understand what he could have missed, what was that stupid thing he said that had obviously hurt Amalia, but he couldn't come up with anything.

She wasn't happy that they were best friends? It didn't make any sense.

At that moment Ruel emerged from the palace and stepped forward on the balcony, stirring Yugo out of his reverie. 

“You're still up that late, lad? Your father wouldn't like it,” he said joyfully. “I just crossed Amalia, she seemed upset. More than usual I mean.”

“I was just... chatting with her, a moment ago,” Yugo answered awkwardly.

“Oh. I hope I'm not disturbing anything,” the old man said with a wink and a knowing smirk. Again Yugo found himself staring sheepishly at him. Why did they all seem to know something he didn't all of a sudden?

Then Yugo remembered Ruel telling about how knowledgeable he was on the topic of women, so maybe he'd have some useful advice on the subject.

“Ruel, can I ask you something?”

“As long as it's not expensive, anything you want Yugo.”

The boy quickly recounted how the conversation went, and Ruel listened with attention. “Apparently she's upset because I told her we're best friends,” Yugo concluded.

At first Ruel stared at him silently. Then he burst out laughing. It took a long moment until Ruel managed to breathe again, wiping tears out of his eyes, while Yugo glared at him with his arms crossed.

“When you're done making fun of me, maybe you can help me understand what's going on,” the Eliatrope said flatly.

“Sorry Yugo, but you're so naïve sometimes, it's hard to keep a straight face. Anyway, what Amalia meant when she said you're 'more than friends', is that she wants you two to be... together. You see?”

Yugo didn't see. “But... We're already together. I mean, not these days, but otherwise we spend most of our time together.”

Ruel shook his head. “No no, I mean she wants you to _go out_ together.”

“Go out together? On an adventure? You can't be right, she just told me she preferred to take care of her Princess duties for the time being.”

Ruel sighed with exasperation. “Damn you're really hopeless lad. She wants to be your _girlfriend_. There, you get it?”

This time Yugo got it all right for sure. He didn't think he could actually blush that hard. It felt like his cheeks were on fire.

“And if you ask me,” Ruel continued, “you're the last one around who wasn't already aware of it, including her Dad and _your_ Dad, and even Pinpin who never understands anything usually. This time you're the biggest Iop around. That's quite something. But if you want my advice, you shouldn't change anything, 'cause I'm sure Amalia likes the way you act natural around her. Even if it's because you never understood a damn of what was going on in her head.”

And now he understood, Yugo wasn't sure he could meet Amalia's gaze without turning tomato red, let alone speak to her without stuttering.

“So... what do I do now?” he asked confusedly.

“Now you go to bed, cause it's much too late for you already. But whatever you do, if it gets more serious between you two, don't be like Pinpin, you see. Think it through properly, with your brain, and not... other parts of yourself.”

“Err... What are you talking about?”

“Serious business, you know?” Ruel said while doing strange gestures with his hands that didn't evoke anything tangible to Yugo. When he noticed the boy's blank expression, Ruel slapped his palm against his face and whined like he had just witnessed the most deplorable thing in his whole life.

“By Enutrof, I'm not going to have this particular conversation with you Yugo. If you want to know what it's all about, ask your father,” Ruel concluded hurriedly as he turned his back on the confused Eliatrope and moved back inside.

“But... Ruel, wait!”

“Good night!”

And Ruel was gone, leaving Yugo even more bewildered than he was to begin with. But at least two things were clear in his mind. First, girls were the most complicated thing in the world. And second, if Amalia got any closer than he deemed reasonable, he'd have his portals at the ready.

 

* * *

 

Anathar was now tucked away safely into the dresser of Lucien's quarters. With Akula they looked for a better place to discuss, away from the Guild and all the people who could overhear their little conspiracy.

They settled for a little tavern that was crowed and noisy enough to cover their discussion. And moreover, Lucien needed a drink. As he made his way through the crowd, the Sram mused on the fact that none of the patrons had the slightest idea of what was coming to them. They'd find out soon enough. Lucien had always felt like a stranger everywhere he went, but that impression had just become stronger than ever.

“He's using you,” Akula started the second they were safely settled at the most isolated table they could find.

“I know,” Lucien said tiredly.

“No no, you don't know,” she insisted. “You don't know Anathar as well as I do. There's no win-win arrangement with him. He wins, and you lose.”

“I know,” Lucien repeated.

“Then if you know, why did you accept?”

Lucien took a sip of his ale. It was tepid and tasted terrible.

“That's only words and promises,” he said. “As long as we don't act. In his cloak, and without his Eliatrope, he can't do anything. And in case you didn't notice, I'm using him too, for my own purposes.”

Akula squinted her single eye, like a one-eyed bow meow ready to pounce. “That's a dangerous game. Outsmarting Anathar isn't a small feat.”

“We have our two superior minds working against his, right?” Lucien said lightly to try and cheer up Akula. “Anyway, it's worth the risk. I need your help to understand a few things though. For example, Anathar is supposed to be cunning and powerful by Shushu standards. Just how well can we trust him to be controlled solely by vengeance?”

Akula paused thoughtfully. “That's a good point. You can trust most Shushus to carry grudges if nothing else, but Anathar... his mind is full of knots Lucien, and only some of them are nooses.” 

“Then what else? If it's not for vengeance, then why is he so keen to lay his hands on a living Eliatrope? Do you have any idea?”

Akula was silent for a moment, her lone eye frowning in concentration, as she thought about it. Then she lit up with understanding. “Oh, I know! Anathar can absorb the magical abilities of any living being upon contact. That's why he needs an Eliatrope. He has plans that require Eliatrope powers.”

“You mean if he touches me, he can turn invisible and summon illusions?”

“Exactly.”

“And... what kind of powers do the Eliatropes have?”

“Not a clue.”

“Great,” Lucien said with a sigh. “Anyway, that's a good lead. We just need to learn what an Eliatrope can do, and more precisely what Anathar could do with one, before we deliver anything. And also we need to figure out what to do if we discover it would mean the end of the world or something.”

“You're not afraid Anathar will find out?” Akula asked worriedly. “Like, what if he tries to read your mind again? There's no way you could hide anything from him, you know.”

“I know, but I don't think he will,” Lucien retorted with the most confident smile he could muster. “He can't possess two persons at once right? Then he can only do it just before I bring him to the Master, and if he does that, he knows he gets no Master and no Eliatrope in the end. He has no choice but to trust me.”

“You're assuming a lot here,” Akula observed. “But let's say you're right, that doesn't change anything. He could find out for any other reason. In the event where Anathar, now Master of the Guild, discovers you want to double cross him, do you realise there will be nowhere in the world to hide?”

She suddenly paused for a second, frowning thoughtfully. “Wait wait, there's something wrong here. If you're allowing Anathar to become the Master, then why doesn't he send anyone else to do your job of Eliatrope hunting? He might as well kill you immediately, since you know what's up. And me, well...” Lucien felt Akula shuddering in fear on his wrist, something that he couldn't remember had ever happened before. “Let's just say he'll have a worse fate in mind for me,” she concluded quickly.

Lucien shook his head dismissively as he cautiously surveyed the room over his pint of ale. “I've already figured this one out, don't worry. Not that I like it... Remember what we learnt from the Master this morning? About the Eliatropes?”

“They're ancient, powerful, mysterious, and supposed to be extinct,” Akula recited. “What else?”

“They're only children, all of them. From the memories he took, Anathar knows everything I know about the Guild. I guess he realised he can't send anyone true to the Guild after children without arousing suspicions. That's why he needs an outsider. That's why he needs me...”

“Oh wow,” Akula exclaimed, staring at him with her eye wide open. “You'd be ready to have some kid's blood on your hands to make your dream come true?”

Lucien chuckled awkwardly. “That's what I'm trying to decide right now.” 

Akula was spot on. It was the only one thing he really felt insecure about with that wacky plan. Lucien had thought the cheap ale would help, but it didn't.

“Oh wow indeed,” the Shushu continued. “Don't get me wrong, I'm not getting soft or anything, and after we've killed pretty much anything else available at least once, murdering a child is the kind of new experience I'd welcome. But we're talking about delivering the kid to Anathar, which would be a lot, lot worse than just killing him. I mean, you've had a sneak peek at what possession feels like for the victim.”

Lucien shuddered at the memory, the unbearable pain and the way he wished he could just die instead. “You sure aren't making it any easier.”

“I'm trying to make sure you don't regret it Lucien. Maybe that's stupid but I kinda liked the little quiet life we had together. Now you're willing to sacrifice everything for plans that may end up in disaster. I understand you're unhappy about the way the world is and all, but... do you really think it's worth it?”

Lucien took his time thinking it over as he looked at the people around him, drinking and laughing noisily, unaware of how little they mattered into the grand scheme they were trapped in.

Sure he could still turn back. He could throw Anathar away and get back to his quiet life, and no one would ever know. But at the same time, he'd have to cope with the idea that he turned away the one chance he had of making a true difference, of achieving what he always wanted, of making the sacrifice of his mother worth something.

The Guild wanted justice, but the only thing they did was making sure the biggest injustice went on. Lucien could bring a better justice to everyone. It was within his reach.

And as he felt uncomfortable again thinking about the price of it, the words of his Master came back to his mind. If you can kill one child to save a thousand and you don't do it, you're killing one thousand children. It was going to be really unfair to the poor Eliatrope kid who would cross his way, but at the same time, countless other children went through all kinds of terrible ordeals just like he had. 

He had to do it, if only for them.

“Yes,” he concluded firmly. “It's all worth it for me. So, to sum up. We bring Anathar to the Master, he does whatever it takes to make allies and enemies of the Eliatropes fight each other, we honour our part of the bargain by delivering the Eliatrope he wants, unless we find out it's too dangerous for whatever reason. The war goes on for a while, then hopefully without any armies left to keep order, people will understand they don't need their corrupted 'elites' any more and take full control of their own lives. Sounds good to me, but I can't do anything without you. Are you with me?”

Akula stared at him intently before speaking. “If that's really what you want, then I'm with you through and through. I may be a snide Shushu, but I won't let you down just when you need me the most.”

Lucien smiled back at her fondly. “Perfect then,” he said, rising from his seat. “Let's get it all started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Illustration by the marvelous[Pappis](http://pappcave.tumblr.com)_
> 
> _And that's it ! All the setting is set, all the foreshadowing is foreshadowed, all the original characters are originally characterized. Time for action now !_
> 
> _I'm dearly sorry to all the people who'd like to see a proper Amalia/Yugo shipping, but making them the second couple in the story doesn't work for me, at least according to what is in the show. I find it much more amusing to do that kind of asymmetric awkward relation rather than jump straight to the smooch smooching – something that never happened and was never hinted at in the show._
> 
> _As for the original characters, I hope they work for you all. Giving the villain a plausible motive for his terrible deeds, out of his own suffering and his will to actually make things better, that's not easy. I have a great respect for those writers who were able to make Nox and Qilby that kind of awfully evil yet likeable characters. Lucien isn't half as good, but I'm trying !_
> 
> _Thanks again for the comments/reviews/messages and stuff, they always mean a lot._


	6. Unexpected

Yugo was right into his element. Forgotten, the doubts and insecurities about his future. Forgotten, the nagging vision of the Sadida Kingdom burnt to the ground. When he could only hear the furious roar of the wind and feel the adrenaline pumping in his blood, nothing else mattered.

Except not messing up his next portal, of course.

Yugo was falling towards the forest at the greatest speed he could achieve, head first with his arms firmly at his sides for minimal drag. Then just a few feet above the trees, he opened a portal to redirect his momentum both upwards and forward. He was doing giant's leaps of half a mile, and with the little number of portals it required, he could go on doing it for hours.

Of course he could have gone much faster. He just needed to want it to make it happen. That would also have cost him a lot of Wakfu, and the reason why he kept as much Wakfu as he could in reserve had nothing to do with endurance. He was racing with Adamaï, and with the little Dragon's tendency to cheat, Yugo expected the flying exercise to turn into a fight at any moment.

Adamaï was flying below the leaves, hidden from his view, but Yugo could feel his presence. He didn't even need his Wakfu vision for that. Their link was strong enough that he always had a sense of where his brother was.

And then just when Yugo felt he was getting closer, an impressive barrage of Stasis blasts erupted through the canopy. He couldn't prevent himself for grinning as he went through a quick succession of portals to evade the shots. 

They were getting to the interesting part.

Yugo returned fire halfway through his next catapulting, overlapping portals to send Wakfu beams roughly where he felt his brother was. At this distance and speed there was no way they could hit each other, and Yugo wasn't worried about their safety.

He suddenly became a ribbon of blue light, made of portals so close to each other they were undistinguishable, shooting forward at an insane speed, much faster than anything Adamaï could muster. Yugo couldn't keep such a pace for long, but it didn't matter. He was only seconds away from winning.

Stasis blasts flew past him, much more concentrated and accurate this time. It forced Yugo to change course and dive below the canopy to use the trees for cover. It didn't work as well as he expected. He quickly realised the trees weren't as sturdy as he hoped. Splinters of wood flew everywhere.

Yugo quickly moved out of harm's way, realising that Amalia wouldn't be too thrilled about the little damage they were doing to her forest. She had asked them to go further from the city so the sounds of their spar wouldn't scare anyone, but she didn't mention anything about broken trees, and the twins hadn't asked about it either.

Oh well, it was done. The most important was to catch up with Adamaï before he reached the shoreline, the finish line they had decided. Nothing else mattered.

Yugo was surprised when they both emerged from the forest over a meadow of short grass, a few hundred feet away from the end. The sudden absence of cover made him especially vulnerable, as unlike Adamaï he couldn't fly his fastest and return fire at the same time. But he had to make a choice. If he used his portals to protect himself instead of rushing forward, he had no chance of winning, and Adamaï was obviously counting on that. 

The Stasis barrage coming his way did very little to deter him when victory was at stake. Out of options and out of time, Yugo decided to make a run for it and hope for the best.

It didn't work.

Adamaï would never use anything possibly lethal against his brother, and the impact didn't hurt that much. But Yugo felt how the Stasis shockwave rippled through his whole body and affected his Wakfu reserves, evaporating the most of them.

His momentum was intact though, he was still flying at high speed barely meters above the ground. When he extended his hand forward to open a portal just before crashing, only a blue puff of smoke came out, and he understood it was going to hurt.

When Yugo came back to his senses, his head was spinning both from the impact and Wakfu deprivation, and Adamaï was yelling somewhere nearby. It felt like all his limbs were still into place somehow, so it couldn't be that bad.

“Yugo!” Adamaï shouted again as he skid to a halt, knelt down and grabbed his brother's shoulder to turn him on his back. He let out a loud sigh of relief. “Thanks the Goddess, you're not dead. Why didn't you try to evade my shots? Are you suicidal or something?”

Yugo chuckled weakly. “I would've lost otherwise,” he said hoarsely. “And I didn't expect your Stasis attacks to affect my Wakfu that way.”

“They did? Oh, then we did learn something new today. Because that's no news you're stupid enough to risk your life for a game,” Adamaï said angrily. Yugo could tell, or rather he could feel, that Adamaï was being furious to hide the fear he had felt when Yugo had hit the ground. There wasn't much his brother could hide from him anyway.

The lack of Wakfu made the boy feel dizzy, his head light. He sat up but it didn't feel like he would be able to stand on his feet. “I'm running low,” he said weakly. “Anything you can do about it?”

“Hmm. I guess we could try to connect our Wakfu, like we did when we used the Eliacube. It should even out our reserves. We needed the Eliacube for that last time, but we're brothers right? Maybe our Wakfu is similar enough and it'll work anyway.”

Yugo winced at the memory. “That hurts though. I'm not so sure about it.”

“Well, it's up to you,” Adamaï said with an impatient sigh. “Either it hurts for ten seconds, or you stay sick and powerless for ten hours.”

“Of course if you put it that way...” Yugo grumbled reluctantly.

Adamaï moved to stand behind the boy, putting his hands below each the fox ears of his Eliatrope hat without actually touching it. There was a blue glow, then Yugo gritted his teeth as his brother's Wakfu painfully streamed into his whole body. It felt like molten metal was flowing through his veins. But Adamaï was right, it only lasted for a few seconds and Yugo immediately felt much better. He extended his palm forward and opened a portal without issue.

“Hey, that works. Good to know we can do that, just in case.”

“Yeah, well, unless we come across those guys from Sufokia again, I'm the only one around who can fire Stasis blasts,” Adamaï said with a sly smile. “So as long as you don't fly into my line of fire on purpose...”

“Because of course you'd never shoot me in the back just for the fun of it,” Yugo said with a laugh. He could see how Adamaï's smile was forced though. “I didn't mean to scare you bro. I'm sorry.”

Adamaï shook his head. “Nah, that's all right. Forget about it. Enough emotions for one day, let's go home.”

They walked on the road back to the Sadida palace under the pleasant late afternoon sun, and Yugo realised it was the last time he was seeing the Sadida Kingdom for a long while. A few weeks had passed since his discussion with Amalia ―an embarrassing memory, now he thought about it― and Alibert couldn't stay away from the inn any longer. They would be moving back to Emelka on the next day. Yugo had barely allowed himself to feel nostalgic when Adamaï looked up at him with a compassionate smile.

“I feel for you bro, I like this place too. But don't forget it's your last chance to talk to the King. Don't you think you've waited long enough? Are you going to do it finally?”

Yugo shook his head firmly. “No, I'm not ready yet.”

His brother had been pressing him more and more over the previous weeks, pushing Yugo to spend more and more of his time into training so he could keep his mind busy with something else.

Adamaï sighed with frustration. “Trust me Yugo, you'll never be ready for that kind of responsibility. But it's not like you have a choice. You can't hide forever, you know that?”

“I know, I'm not deaf and you've told me a dozen times already,” the boy retorted flatly between gritted teeth. He didn't mean to be angry towards Adamaï but his brother's constant insistence was getting on his nerves.

“Well obviously that wasn't enough to get through that thick skull of yours,” Adamaï said with an exasperated sigh.

They both fell silent and walked a bit further apart for a moment. Yugo was annoyed they were going through the same discussion all over again. He had that tingling feeling under his skin as he wanted to throw something back at his brother's face, but what good would it do? They both had enough reasons to be upset with the other already, there was no need to make it worse.

“I understand what you're telling me bro,” Yugo said as gently as he could muster. “Really. But maybe it's your turn to understand that you don't really know what you're talking about. You've never had a responsibility like that. You don't know what it feels like to have the fate of a whole people suddenly thrown on your shoulders.”

Yugo kept walking in silence, but after a few steps he realised Adamaï wasn't moving any more. The boy turned to look at his brother who stood rooted on the spot, his mouth open and his expression blank.

“What's up bro?” Yugo asked curiously.

Then he felt it. Burning anger like he never felt before, or at least never directed at him.

“Say that to my face again?” Adamaï spat, his brow furrowed in a scowl, black smoke coming out of his nostrils. “Tell me again how I know nothing about _responsibility_?!”

“Oh wow, hold on, I never meant to―”

“Yes, yes you _meant_ it. So let me tell you what _I_ know about _responsibility_. Last year when my own adoptive father got killed without warning, suddenly I was responsible of _you_ , and through you, of the fate of the _whole_ _world_!”

“Of course Ad', I―”

“Shut up! You were so busy being amazed by your new family and your new powers and all that great stuff that you didn't even realise the situation we were into. That was all on me. I had no time for grief or doubts, and on top of that, I had to make sure your recklessness didn't get us killed along the way. Just think for a second what would've happened if I took it like you do today. Okay Yugo, let's go on holidays! Let's have some fun! That'll be great! And nevermind that when we come back the whole world will be gone and all the people we know will be dead!”

Yugo had no idea how he could stop the onslaught, take back his words or anything. So he just stood there, waiting for Adamaï to run out of breath eventually, every one of his words hurting like standing still in a hailstorm. It didn't hurt because Adamaï was lashing out at him. It hurt because he was right.

“And now it's the same thing all over again. We're on a mission Yugo. If we don't do our duty, our people will never come back. You know that. And what do you do? You put your head in the sand, and you hope we'll just forget who you are! What a great King of the Eliatropes you make, turning your back to your duty and hiding like a _coward_!”

Adamaï suddenly stopped, his voicing ringing around the forest for a few seconds. After his yelling, the sudden calmness was eerie. Even the birds didn't dare to sing any more. The little Dragon sighed and shook his head, his expression bitter.

“I understand what you feel bro”, he went on a lot more calmly. “Much better than you think. And it's frustrating when I try everything to get you on the right track while you just keep finding excuses. Believe me when I say I'd do anything to help you, _anything_. But now I don't want to play your part any more. I'll take my leave, until you decide to do what you _need_ to do. What are you going to do at Emelka anyway?”

When Yugo talked, his voice wasn't as steady as he would have wished. “I'll help Dad with the inn like before, I guess,” he mumbled pitifully. “And I'll train some more, and...”

And Adamaï was right. He was finding excuses, anything he could, to avoid his responsibilities. He was turning his back on his own people, on those kids who had looked up to him as if he was their saviour. Those kids who were likely watching him right now, wondering why he wasn't doing anything to get them out of their little prison.

“No Yugo,” Adamaï insisted. “You need to talk to the King. You need to tell him who you are. Then we can move on from there. And when you do that, I'll be there to help you. But I can't stand it any more, watching you waste your time because you can't accept the truth. We're not asking you to rule your people yet, everyone understands you're too young for that. But we have a lot to do to prepare our people's return and we're wasting a lot of time right now.”

The worst thing about the whole argument was how Yugo felt Adamaï's emotions on top of his own. Bitterness, anger, fear and sadness mixed up together to leave an acid taste in his mouth. He didn't know what to do or say, while Adamaï kept looking at him in silence.

“I'm sorry Adamaï,” he said hoarsely.

“I know. But now is not the time for words. You need to get a grip. And when you're ready to act, you'll know where to find me.”

Adamaï gave his brother a forced smile and an encouraging pat on the shoulder, then he started walking away. Yugo kept staring at his back, lost in his thoughts. 

How he could have missed that out of all people, Adamaï was indeed the one who could understand his situation the best? His brother was entirely, painfully right. When Grougaloragran had died and set them on their way to stop Nox, Yugo hadn't given much thought to the broader picture. He had left Adamaï to handle the fear of their failure all by himself, and Yugo's excessive optimism had been entirely because he didn't realise what kind of a mess they were in.

But there was no way he could change the past. Or rather there had been one way, and they had destroyed it. All he could do now to fix his mistakes was to listen to his brother for once, and―

Yugo's attention suddenly snapped back to reality when a golden arrow landed at his feet, startling him. He stood dumbfounded for a second, then his brain clicked as he understood what the arrow meant.

“Adamaï, wait!” he called after his brother.

“I've waited long enough already,” the little Dragon retorted without turning around.

“No, you don't understand!”

“I understand perfectly well, thank you.”

Yugo groaned in anger. Who had a thick skull again? There was only one way to make his brother turn back. He formed two portals with his hands, one of top of the other. The Wakfu beam whizzed past Adamaï's ear and the Dragon immediately faced him, his expression furious and his hands glowing purple, ready to fight. Then Adamaï noticed the golden arrow between them and he stared at it curiously.

“What's that thing?”

“A recall arrow,” Yugo explained. “Eva needs our help.” The boy was already extending his arm forward to grab it when Adamaï rushed at him in panic.

“Wait! Stop!”

Yugo raised an eyebrow as he stood on the spot, his hand a few inches away from the arrow. “What's the matter? We have no time to lose!”

“Last time Eva used this was at Rubilaxia, right?”

“Yes. Why are you―”

“And if Rubilax didn't switch sides you'd be chained somewhere in the Shukrute right now, and the whole world would be swarming with Shushus. That's just how well it went last time, didn't it?”

Yugo frowned at his brother. “Eva needs our help Ad'! There's no discussion!”

“There is! You have to think about our people first Yugo! What tells you you won't land in the middle of a fight and get killed, or worse?”

“And what if our friends _die_ because we don't come to help them?” Yugo asked furiously.

“I have my own priorities in order,” Adamaï retorted coldly. “You should do the same.”

Yugo stared at his brother with his mouth agape, lost for words once again. But they were already losing a lot of time in another useless argument.

“Fine! Whatever you say, I'm going,” Yugo said angrily as he grabbed the arrow.

He expected Adamaï to follow him as he didn't leave him any choice. But to his great surprise, Adamaï didn't move. The little Dragon just stared at him sternly, his arms crossed, and that was the last thing Yugo saw before the world dissolved around him and the recall spell carried him away.

 

* * *

 

At first Yugo thought he'd been hit by some spell right upon arrival. Something acrid burnt his eyes and his lungs. He coughed, unable to see anything. Then someone grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back into fresh air, and he realised he was in the Sadida palace. As far as he could tell, everything was out of place. The Sadida palace was usually peaceful and quiet, and now it was filled was dark billowing smoke and people screaming and running everywhere.

“Good to see you,” Evangelyne said sternly. “Where's Adamaï?”

“He's...” Yugo bit his lip. “He wasn't with me.” 

“Oh. That's bad. There's a fire here and we can't put it off. A whole area is cut off by the flames and we don't know if there's people trapped inside. I thought having a Dragon around would help.”

“Yeah, well, he's not here,” Yugo retorted curtly. _I'll have to be enough_ , he thought bitterly for himself. “The whole palace is on fire?” he asked urgently, immediately worrying for his father and Chibi.

Evangelyne shook her head. “No, only this wing of the servant's quarters, but that'd be great if we managed to contain it...”

A violent anguish suddenly grabbed Yugo's guts as the situation reminded him of his nightmarish vision. Last time he had discussed it with Adamaï to try and understand how they could have seen the same thing, his brother had brushed it away. He said Yugo just had a nightmare and since their minds were connected, Adamaï ended up having the same and it didn't mean anything in the end. But now the palace was burning, it seemed a lot more relevant.

Tristepin and Ruel ran past them, holding several buckets of water each. They disappeared in the smoke. Seconds later they were back, out of breath.

“Doesn't... work,” Pinpin panted.

“Not surprising,” Evangelyne mumbled. “This can't be an accident.”

“What do you mean?” Yugo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Before the Archer could answer, a Sadida woman ran towards them in obvious distress. Evangelyne tried to calm her down so they would understand what she was trying to say, but in the middle of her hurried gibberish, Yugo caught one word that made his blood freeze. 'Children'.

“I'm going in”, he said firmly.

“No way,” Evangelyne retorted. “You're not taking stupid risks to get through those flames.”

“That's the whole point,” Yugo said with a smirk. “I'm not going anywhere.”

Amalia appeared at that moment. Yugo suddenly remembered the last time they met, and he purposely avoided her gaze as he tried to concentrate, blushing a bit.

“I've checked with the guards,” she said. “They've got nothing to report, but to be fair this area was rather unprotected. Yugo, you should―”

“Amalia, I need to focus,” he cut in sternly. “Sorry but I'll help those kids first and listen to you later.”

He caught Amalia's furious glance just before he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate despite all the people yelling around them. The emergency at hand made it much easier, filling him with a sense of purpose. Flames weren't alive, but the burning wood was, and it was difficult to see through that swirling blue mess. Yugo projected his mind forward, and immediately he noticed two little forms snuggled together in a corner of the room. They weren't moving, which wasn't a good sign, but he could only see the Wakfu of living beings so they had to be still alive.

Yugo opened a portal right to the two children. Thick black smoke immediately came out on his end. Worried about what it was like on the other side, he reached through hastily. It felt like he had put his hand directly into the flames. Then he realised it was just the air being scalding hot, and he put his hand through again to grab one of the kids. 

He found something that felt like a little arm. Luckily the child was rather small and Yugo had no issue dragging him through the portal. The kid was unconscious, maybe four or five years old, the face covered in the typical green hair of the Sadida. Eniripsas rushed in to take care of him and Yugo didn't lose a single second. He repeated the same method, silently thanking Adamaï for teaching him the technique. But this time when he found the other kid's arm and tugged on it, nothing moved.

“He's stuck,” Yugo said worriedly. “I can't get him through.”

“I'll go,” Tristepin offered, approaching the portal.

“No way. You won't help if you go to the other side only to puke everywhere. I'll do it.”

“Take care Yugo,” Amalia said anxiously, and this time Yugo turned around to see just how worried she looked. He tried to flash her a reassuring smile. 

“I'm always careful,” he said as lightly as he could. “I'll be right back.”

He took the biggest breath he could and jumped through. Immediately he felt the hot air burning his skin, black and acrid smoke everywhere blinding him. But it didn't matter. He didn't need his eyes to see.

Barely a feet away he found the little form of the kid slumped against the wall, immobile but still alive, its blue glow still strong. A broken beam had fallen from the roof and trapped his leg. Yugo's guts churned a bit when he realised how the child's leg was bent the wrong way. He had to find a solution, and quick. 

Yugo first tried to lift the wooden beam, to no avail. Then he remembered he was an Eliatrope. He quickly superposed two portals, shattering the wooden beam into splinters and freeing the little child. Yugo tucked him safely under his arm, then he concentrated to open his exit portal, when the floor collapsed under his feet.

He crashed onto the floor below amidst all kinds of burning and smoking debris, clinging tightly to the little one he had come to rescue. There wasn't much room for doubts and fear, and Yugo was never afraid of danger anyway. But not panicking didn't help much. He had more practical issues at hand. 

The fall had winded him out and he had no choice but to breathe the opaque and acrid smoke. He tried to open his portal again, but his head already felt light and dizzy from the lack of air. No matter how hard he tried he could not focus enough.

At that moment Yugo started doubting his odds of getting out of that mess alive. His knees went weak and he collapsed on the ground, panting hard as he tried to catch whatever oxygen could be left. And there was none. 

If anything, he felt sorry for the little kid he was still holding tightly.

At first he thought he was having hallucinations when the smoke and flames all around him seemed to recede. Then the air felt fresher, and after he coughed a bit he found he could breathe freely again. All the smoke and flames seemed to be flowing towards the same direction. When most of it had vanished, Yugo saw that a small figure was _swallowing_ it. A small figure with a white scaled skin and a blue rim around his eyes.

“Adamaï,” Yugo croaked. He had rarely found himself so happy to see his brother. The little Dragon rushed forward and knelt next to him.

“Are you okay?” Adamaï asked worriedly. Yugo sat up and coughed out whatever smoke was left in his lungs, the little child still in his arms. He cast a look around at the ruined room littered with charred and smoking debris. Several people were already rushing in, and two Eniripsas went straight to take the kid from his arms and check his vital signs. Adamaï was staring at him, worry etched on his face.

“I'm fine,” Yugo said after a last bout of coughing. He nodded at the little Sadida kid as they took him away. “What about him?”

“He'll be all right,” a nearby Eniripsa said with a reassuring smile. Yugo simply nodded, feeling somewhat drained by the whole ordeal. He noticed Adamaï still staring at him intently.

“What's up? There's something on my nose?” Yugo asked lightly.

Adamaï looked downward in shame. Not only it looked like shame, but Yugo could feel it. “I guess I owe you an apology,” the Dragon said quietly.

“What for?” Yugo asked with surprise. “Oh right, you want to apologize because you just saved my life. Makes perfect sense.” He grinned at his brother. “When you said you'd go through fire and flames for me, I didn't think you really meant it that much.”

Adamaï had a little snicker, easing up somewhat. “Yes, I... look, that's my fault you put yourself in danger in the first place. I yelled at you, and then I let you go alone, and―”

Yugo put his hand on his brother's mouth to silence him. “Shut up. If you go on I'll have to apologize for being a stubborn idiot.” 

The boy grabbed Adamaï with both arms and hugged him. “You were entirely right Ad',” he mumbled into his brother's neck. “I should have listened to you, and I will from now on.”

“Yugo!”

Amalia and her high pitched shriek arrived at the same time. She knelt next to the two brothers and took them both in her arms, hugging them tightly.

“I'm fine Amalia...” Yugo managed to articulate despite the pressure “...but you're crushing us right now.”

“Yes, I―I... of course, sorry.”

“That's fine,” Yugo said with a grin as he himself let go of Adamaï. “You wanted to tell me something earlier?”

It always amazed Yugo to see how Amalia could switch from worried to angry in a matter of seconds. “Oh that's right! I wanted to tell you to be careful, you idiot. But you never listen to me do you?”

Yugo knew what to use in that situation. His disarming smile and puppy eyes always did the trick. “Well someone had to save those kids...”

“Someone had to play the _hero_ , of course,” Amalia mumbled angrily. “Anyway, that's not the point. There's something fishy. The palace can't catch fire like that.”

Evangelyne had mentioned the same thing earlier. Yugo raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? It's made of wood.”

Amalia was visibly unnerved as she waved her hand at him, like she wanted to chase an annoying mosquito. “It's not regular wood, you really think we'd be that stupid? If it could catch fire so easily we'd never light a torch, or even worse, let Dragons get inside.”

Adamaï cast her a dark, offended look.

“I'm talking about Grougal obviously,” Amalia added hastily. “Anyway, my point is, that fire can't be an accident. Someone is responsible. Someone _did_ this, on purpose.”

“Who could do something like that?” Yugo asked, bewildered. “And what for?”

“No idea. This is why you needed to be careful before going in.”

Yugo nodded and got up to his feet, leaning on Adamaï until he was sure he could stand. He was still worried over his loved ones and Amalia's words only made that feeling worse. “I'm going to check on Dad and Chibi, just in case,” he said.

Adamaï nodded. “Good idea. I'll stay here and make sure the fire won't start again. These people are really clueless when it comes to flames, blazes and all that cool stuff.”

Yugo caught Amalia's dark glance and giggled. Maybe that was the reason why they never got along that well. Nature and fire were direct opposites after all.

“I'll catch you later,” Yugo said as he started walking away through the debris and the mess of various people buzzing around the place. He spotted Evangelyne amidst the crowd, near the Eniripsa he'd seen earlier. When he came nearby the Cra smiled brightly at him.

“The kids are going to be all right,” Evangelyne told him kindly. “You did great.”

“Hmm,” Yugo mumbled. He wasn't in the mood to grin at free praise. “Amalia says someone started the fire, that it's criminal. What do you think?”

Evangelyne was silent for a moment, thinking it over. “I think she's right, I've always been told the palace couldn't burn. But I don't see why anyone would do something like that. If it's a way to gain leverage and settle a grudge with the Kingdom it's pretty stupid. The King won't negotiate with people who put children's lives in the balance.”

Yugo nodded. He didn't have any other idea anyway. He looked around him, a bit confused. “Huh... Where are we now? I never came around here.”

“It's the main servant's quarters, wing C, on the east side of the palace.” She pointed at a passageway behind her. “You'll find the main corridors this way.”

Yugo sighed when he realised their apartments were on the west side. “Great, now I have to go through the whole palace on foot.”

“Can't you just fly out of the window and be anywhere in just seconds?” Evangelyne asked curiously.

Yugo shook his head. “No, I could if I wasn't running that low on Wakfu. I might drop out of the sky like a stone so it's not a good idea. Anyway, see you later.”

As Yugo started walking again he had a feeling something wasn't right. An intuition, an anguish, somewhere in his guts. He forced the pace to get to his father quickly and make sure everything was all right, more to reassure himself than anything else.

The whole area was buzzing with people, guards and civilians alike. Yugo had to leave them room and stick to the sides of the cramped corridors, even using his portals a few times to avoid being trampled by the soldiers carrying massive wooden beams, likely meant to secure the damaged area. There was lots and lots of guards around, now Yugo paid attention to it. Of course they'd all come to help where it was needed, but...

He froze on the spot and a chill crept up his spine. If all the guards in the palace were here... and if the fire wasn't an accident... and if Alibert and Chibi were exactly on the other side of the palace, the farthest possible from him...

“A diversion,” he whispered for himself. Pure dread washed over him, but there was no time for fear or doubts if his father needed him. The next second he was a flash of blue light going through the window and into the sky at an insane speed, faster than thoughts, fuelled by the sudden fear that he might be too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot of fun to write, now we're into the action part. I hope you like it. I may stick to a shorter chapter size from now on, because there's no need to keep the balanced POV switches now the introductions are done. In fact, I hope you all appreciate Lucien enough now that you won't hate me for a full chapter with only him later on. The second reason is that I've started working again and since I have less time available, shorter chapters will still allow for more regular updates.
> 
> You've likely seen it already, but just in case Worthy of the Crown from Slavok has got a nice new chapter, and A Bridge Once Broken is still advancing at a very good pace. The fandom may be small, but it's alive and well!


	7. Diversion

Adamaï sat with his back against a wall, oblivious to the buzzing activity around him, gazing blankly through the numerous people passing by.

The little Dragon had made sure no fire could possibly restart. He had tested the Sadidas' protective spell with his own fire breath, and without surprise ―after all, little Grougal had already put the magical wood to the test numerous times― Adamaï had been unable to make the wood any warmer, let alone set the palace ablaze.

It couldn't have been an accident. The fire was indeed intentional, without any doubt.

Countless Sadidas, guards and civilians alike, were clearing out piles of debris from the wrecked scene in a buzzing yet organised activity. An entire floor had collapsed on the one below and the damage was quite impressive, but the overall structure seemed stable and secure enough.

Adamaï was impervious to all this agitation. He was brooding in his corner, still ashamed and angry at himself for letting his brother face danger alone, only because of a stupid argument. Sure, Yugo was being stubborn and delusional, behaving like a child instead of the King he ought to be... but it didn't deserve the death penalty.

Most of all, Adamaï knew his brother behaved that way because he was scared. The young Dragon himself remembered being utterly terrified when Grougaloragran had hurriedly sent them on their way to save the world. And while he had managed to find the strength to keep it together at that time, Adamaï knew how badly Yugo needed his help right now. He sighed sadly as he fully realised how he'd been such a lousy brother. Fortunately nothing was broken beyond repair. He could still put things right with Yugo.

Evangelyne came by, stirring him out of his thoughts. The little Dragon was almost thankful for the interruption.

“Are you all right?” she asked cautiously, eyeing him with a concerned look.

Adamaï shook his head flippantly. “Yeah yeah, everything's fine. What's up?”

“They've found something interesting while clearing out the debris, and I thought maybe you'd want to check it out,” Evangelyne said.

Adamaï nodded numbly and got up to follow the archer. He was glad for the occasion to focus on something more productive than useless brooding. They went straight to the most damaged area, and Adamaï noticed the bulk of the debris had been cleared out already. Amalia, Tristepin, Joris and a few guards were standing at a respectful distance from a particularly baldy charred spot on the ground, staring at it warily.

“Don't get too close,” Amalia warned him curtly. “It's still very hot.”

“That's cute,” Adamaï jeered as he disregarded her advice altogether and went to kneel right next to the scalding hot mark. He could feel the intense heat, but it didn't hurt him. He was a Dragon after all. If heat and flames could harm him, he'd be on sore throat medicine all the time.

In the middle of the carbonised spot, Adamaï found little droplets of still incandescent metal. He curiously poked one with a finger... then immediately yanked his hand back with a yelp, feeling a burning sensation for the first time in his life.

“Told you so,” Amalia taunted smugly. Adamaï cast her a dark stare, but he didn't retort. She was right after all.

“What is it?” Evangelyne asked.

“I don't know, I've never seen anything that could actually burn my skin. But if your wooden palace was not magically protected, it would set it on fire right away, that's for sure.”

Master Joris moved as close as the heat would allow to have a look. “What kind of magic can create such a powerful heat, according to your knowledge?” he asked.

Adamaï stared at the little glowing spheres thoughtfully. “I don't know about any magic in the world capable of doing that... but maybe science is the answer.”

Adamaï turned around to see everyone staring at him quizzically.

“Our civilisation wasn't only good at magic, you know. We had some great scientists too. Sure, now the greatest on of them is just babbling in a crib, but Grougaloragran was his brother. He taught me some of his knowledge. I know you can make some metals react together to create an intense heat. Hot enough to overpower your protective spell.”

Amalia frowned worriedly. “I guess such knowledge can't be found on every street corner though.”

“Exactly,” Adamaï replied with a nod. “Which is both a good and a bad thing. The good thing is it will shorten our list of potential suspects to only a few. The bad thing is it leaves only the most dangerous.”

“This is undoubtedly a good lead,” Joris said with his usual solemn tone. “There's indeed not many individuals or organisations with such an advanced scientific knowledge. And discovering the culprit shall also tell us all we need to know about their motivations.”

Adamaï nodded, staring thoughtfully at the glowing bubbles. Then out of nowhere, a sudden realisation struck him.

“A diversion,” he said in a low voice.

Something was off. So very off. That thought didn't come from him, it had popped directly into his head, as if someone else had planted it there. It could mean only one thing...

“What?” Amalia asked curiously. “A diversion for what? How do you know that?”

“I don't,” Adamaï replied, shaking his head impatiently. “Yugo worked it out all by himself. That means... oh no.”

His train of thoughts was catching up with the sudden anguish he was feeling, part of which was not his own.

Could he really be stupid enough to make the same mistake twice in only a few minutes?

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Yugo flew, as fast as he could. Well, it wasn't really flying, more like using all his might to tear through the fabric of space and time.

The young Eliatrope had the power to open a portal right to where he needed to be. However, doing so required to be entirely focused and calm, something Yugo could not achieve when he was so worried over the well-being of his loved ones. At the speed he was streaking through the sky, he wasn't losing that much time anyway.

Yugo spotted Az flying towards him. He knew the little Tofu had been staying with Alibert and Chibi, so crossing him was not a good sign. In between two portals, Yugo snatched the little feather ball out of thin air and put him inside his front pocket. Az was chirping furiously, but there was no way the boy could hear him on top of the racket from the wind and his own flurry of portals.

There was still a good chance to find Alibert and Chibi safe and sound, Yugo told himself. If their Wakfu had left the world, he would have felt it for sure. Each passing second the boy didn't feel his heart being suddenly torn apart made him more confident for the next.

Yugo paid little attention to the warning signs telling him he was pushing his body and his Wakfu much too far. The young Eliatrope knew he could achieve so much more when he was under pressure, that experience made him confident enough to press on despite the risks. He tried not to think too much about what would happen if he stumbled into a fight with barely any fuel left.

_Hope you'll be right on time again, Ad'._

 

 

* * *

 

 

Adamaï was half running, half flying in the corridors, trying the best he could to avoid passers-by. The people he crossed stared at him curiously, wondering why he was rushing away from where the emergency was. But he didn't have time to explain. Nor did he really care.

The rest of the Brotherhood, with the addition of Joris, were barely keeping up with him. The little Dragon could fly quickly, and he had tremendous endurance, but in times like these he envied his brother's ability to just puncture a hole in space-time and go wherever he wanted.

Adamaï flew by Amalia's colourful valets, and sure enough they tried to intercept her.

“Princess, Princess, it's very urgent, we─”

“Not now Renate!” Amalia retorted curtly. She was already annoyed by her royal attire hindering her pace. “Tell the guard captain to send all men available to guests' quarters!”

“But─”

“ _Do it! Now!”_ Amalia shouted on top of her voice, not even looking back at the terrified valet. 

Adamaï couldn't hold back a smirk. He always found it difficult to get along with the princess, often annoyed by her haughty and whiny attitude, but he respected the way she always demonstrated a surprising amount of authority and determination when it was truly needed.

Unlike Yugo, he thought bitterly.

Yugo who had likely run head first into danger again. But Adamaï couldn't blame him. He would have done just the same. And on top of that Adamaï knew what it was like to lose someone he loved. He knew he didn't want himself or anyone else else to bear with that crushing feeling.

Then Adamaï skidded to an halt and stopped dead in his tracks, mouth agape, paralysed by the sudden torrent of cold fright that poured over his mind link with his brother.

 

* * *

 

In his short life Yugo had seen many things he thought to be impossible. He even made quite a lot of them happen. Yet it took a long time for his brain to accept the seemingly impossible thing he was seeing.

Alibert was lying motionless on the ground, his usually impeccable chef's toque stained with large, bright red spots. Yugo blinked once, twice, trying to make that horrible nightmare go away, but it didn't.

“Dad!” the boy yelled as he rushed to kneel at the broad man's side. He grabbed Alibert by the shoulder and tugged hard to turn him onto his back. Alibert's eyes fluttered open, his gaze unfocused and groggy, but definitely alive. Yugo let out a loud sigh of relief, gripping his Dad's large and callous hand firmly.

“Dad, what happened?” Yugo asked as he cast a sweeping glance at the room, seeing no signs of a fight whatsoever.

“I...” Alibert began, swallowing and squinting his eyes as he tried to focus on his son's face. He ran an hand across his brow, wiping away the blood that was trickling down from his hair. “I think I was hit from behind. I... I was preparing a bottle of milk for Chibi, when...”

Father and son looked at each other with wide eyes as they both suddenly realised the usual sound of babbling and jabbering was missing from the room. Yugo didn't even have to check on Chibi's crib to know the Eliatrope baby was already gone. He would have noticed the missing presence right upon entering the room if he hadn't been so focused on Alibert.

“Who did that?” the boy asked coldly, the seriousness of the situation filling him with cold rage and sudden determination.

“I-I don't know,” Alibert croaked, looking lost. “I'm sorry Yugo, I should have been more careful...”

Yugo shook his head firmly. “Dad, it's none of your fault,” he said. “Whoever dared to touch Chibi is going to regret it.”

The young Eliatrope was oddly reminded of the first training he ever had with Adamaï as he closed his eyes and focused on his mental images of Chibi. Immediately the toddler's Wakfu shone like a bright beacon, fortunately still quite close.

“Az, stay with Alibert and warn the others when they get here,” Yugo said as he got up to his feet and hurriedly opened a portal. The golden Tofu chirped firmly, proudly accepting such an important mission.

“You stay here Dad. I'll be right back,” Yugo said before jumping into the portal.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Illustration by the great[Pappis](http://pappcave.tumblr.com)_
> 
> _I have no excuse for the long break, apart from tedious irl things, motivation to write coming and going, that kind of stuff. I hope you accept this new chapter as an apology!_
> 
> _I'm taking the end of S1 as a reference for Yugo's behaviour. It always seems like threatening his friends and family is his most efficient rage trigger, but not in a true berserk style, and more something cold and focused. Don't worry about the rest of the BoT and especially Adamaï being only sidekicks, that's none of my intentions._


	8. The encounter

Somewhere in the lush Sadida forest, Yugo walked back and forth, fidgeting with his hands as his head spun. In the trees above him, a hoot-hoot looked down at him curiously and ruffled its feathers.

Yugo stopped in frustration. "That makes no sense!"

On one hand, he had caught up with Chibi easily before his would-be kidnapper could get away. On the other, Chibi wasn't there. Yugo could sense Chibi's Wakfu, but he couldn't see him, so unless someone had found a way to mess with his Wakfu abilities, or used an especially powerful invisibility veil, it made no sense at all.

Unless...

"The tunnels..." Yugo whispered. Amalia had told him about them, tunnels that her people sometimes used as a shelter. They were held up by the forest roots and spanned most of the Kingdom. Perfect to move around unseen.

Yugo had found Chibi. He was literally right on top of him.

The Eliatrope closed his eyes and focused. He needed to have a mental image of the tunnels before he opened a portal, or he could land right on top of the kidnapper. Two bright auras shone below him, a tiny one that had to be Chibi, and a much bigger one the size of a grown man. He could also make out the outlines of the tunnel, faint but visible enough to pick a safe landing place.

Yugo smiled. He was going to regain the initiative.

 

* * *

 

 

Adamaï knew that Yugo was gone, long before he reached Alibert. He cursed himself, realizing too late that teaching Yugo how to communicate over their mind link should have been a priority. Now he needed to waste a lot of time for Alibert to tell him what had happened and where he'd find Yugo. And in their situation, time was a luxury.

Alibert was a mess. As a stark contrast, the room was surprisingly tidy. An Eniripsa healer was already tending to a rather nasty cut on the man's brow, but his face was still covered in half-dried blood. The whole Brotherhood of the Tofu gasped as one man at the sight, except Adamaï. In fact, from the horror the he had felt through his mind link, the Dragon was surprised it wasn't a lot worse.

Alibert laughed when he saw the faces they were making. "I'll live, don't worry. But you must go help Yugo."

"Let me guess," Amalia started with audible exasperation in her voice. "He rushed head first into danger again?"

Alibert shook his head. "You could say that, but he's chasing after Chibi. Someone has taken him away. And I'm sure Yugo will catch up in no time, but we don't know who the kidnapper is or what he's capable of. I'd feel better knowing you are helping him."

"Where to?" Adamaï asked urgently.

"No idea. He left through a portal."

Adamaï hissed a plume of fire in frustration. He always had a sense of where his brother was, but all he could feel was that Yugo was somewhere outside, in the forest. And the Sadida forest was gigantic.

"It will have to do," the Dragon said firmly. "Follow me. Or if you can't fly, well, quickly find something to make up for it."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Evangelyne asked, puzzled. She got her answer when Adamaï jumped from the balcony.

 

* * *

 

Yugo realised a bit late that the tunnel was pitch black, and his portal would light it up with a bright blue glow. Fortunately, the man was holding an equally bright torch, and he didn't notice anything.

The boy had zaapped behind the cover of a pile of rubble, and he found himself ankle-deep in cold water, in the middle of a dark, damp, murky cavern. Large boulders littered the floor and wild vines clung to the walls. If it was the kind of passage the Sadida used frequently, it didn't look that way the least.

Satisfied with his own security, Yugo took a glimpse around the corner to assess the situation. And it left him baffled.

Chibi was lying on a flat rock, laughing like he was having the time of his life. Right next to him a man ―his arms covered in black tattoos, the obvious mark of a Sacrier― was performing various stupid tricks of the "I stole your nose" kind, and Chibi was obviously a great public.

_Well, better that than terrified wails_ , Yugo thought. The young Eliatrope took all his time to detail the would-be kidnapper, preparing the best he could for their likely fight.

The Sacrier was tall and lanky, his long, fiery-red hair attached in a ponytail, wearing loose pants and a sleeveless tunic made of some dark rough material. The intricate patterns of his black tattoos covered all of his exposed skin, and Yugo realised he'd never seen a Sacrier with that many markings. He hoped it wasn't indicative of their actual strength.

All Yugo had to do was knock him out from behind, grab Chibi, and portal out. A fairly simple plan. The boy was getting ready to pounce when the Sacrier straightened up and looked in his overall direction.

"Took you long enough."

Yugo froze, wondering how he could have been detected. Then he realised the Sacrier was not looking exactly at his dark hiding place when someone else passed a mere foot away from the boy. Someone Yugo didn't feel coming, despite his Wakfu attuned senses. Fortunately, the newcomer completely missed him too.

"Easy Farkas," he said. "It was quite the walk, getting out of that mess without bumping into anyone. I see you've done your part for once."

"And still I don't know why I'm helping you out Lucien," the Sacrier named Farkas said angrily. "Tell me since when it's okay to target little kids? And use diversions that could kill a good bunch of innocent bystanders?"

The newcomer named Lucien shrugged. "Master's orders. I don't know more about it than you do. But that's strange for sure. I'll make sure to file a complaint when we get back home."

Yugo could only see the back of that Lucien, but he was definitely shorter than his partner, with a more relaxed gait. Nothing about him or his elegant clothes gave any indication about his class, not even the two sabres Yugo could see in his back.

_Great, now there's two of them!_ Yugo thought. He could take one out by surprise, but two? No, it would be safer to wait for backup now. Draconic backup, if possible. Yugo retreated into the shadows, ready to tail the two thugs as long as needed.

"Are we moving out then?" Farkas asked.

"I'm afraid not. Unfortunately, we have a surprise guest to take care of."

Yugo's heart missed a beat.

"Come on Yugo, don't be shy. And before you think about doing anything stupid, remember we have a valuable bargaining chip with us."

Blasting both of them away in sheer rage crossed Yugo's mind indeed, but the man was right. He would not put Chibi in harm's way if he could help it. And there was no point pretending he wasn't there either.

Yugo stood up and stepped out of the dark corner, into the light of the Sacrier's torch, his wet footsteps echoing across the cave. He noticed Farkas held a confused Chibi in the crook of his arm, his torch now stuck into the mud. When Chibi noticed Yugo his face lit up and he babbled happily, oblivious to the danger.

Lucien drew one of his swords and put the tip of the blade close enough to the baby to make Yugo's insides churn. The boy raised his arms to show his open palms in earnest.

"I'm not armed, no need to threaten him," Yugo said hastily.

Lucien laughed. "We're not that stupid you know, not enough to ignore that you don't need anything else than your bare hands to be dangerous."

Yugo suddenly felt a bit ridiculous with his arms in the air uselessly, so he put them at his sides. Both men were looking at him intently, and he didn't like the confidence he could feel in them. He swallowed nervously. They obviously knew what they were doing much more than he did. It seemed his presence was even part of their plan. But at that point, all he needed was to keep them talking, trying to buy all the time he could to allow his friends to catch up.

"Why are you doing that?" Yugo asked as calmly as he could. "Why are you trying to kidnap my little brother?"

"We're not  _trying_ ," Lucien corrected. "We're succeeding. Besides... we're just following orders. If there is some sort of grand scheme involving an Eliatrope baby, I'm afraid we know nothing about its details."

Farkas threw his partner a dirty, untrusting look, but he didn't say anything.

_Eliatrope baby,_ Yugo remarked. They also knew his own name. They were not targeting his family randomly. He realised he had to keep his head level if he wanted to get out of this mess unscathed. And most of all, he needed to keep talking.

"If you told me what you want, maybe we could try to find another solution," Yugo said. "Maybe I could even help you. I've seen many people do all the wrong things for all the good reasons, you know."

Lucien raised an eyebrow and looked at Farkas before answering. "What do we want? Well, if you could just drop dead on your own, that would be most welcome. But we all know you'll need a little help for that."

The man was talking with such a detached tone that it made Yugo shudder. He had met a lot of different people who absolutely wanted him dead and would have been utterly joyful if they'd succeeded. This man didn't. The way Yugo felt it, Lucien only considered him like a mere obstacle in their mission.

"Take me instead," Yugo proposed. "Leave Chibi out of your business."

The two men exchanged a glance before Lucien answered. "We must retrieve an Eliatrope, no matter which. Given the choice between the small inoffensive baby and the one who can actually defend himself, we'd be pretty damn stupid to bother with you, don't you think?"

"You're right. It won't be that easy to deal with me you know," Yugo said with the most confident tone he could muster. "I've been through a lot already, and always came out on top."

The bluff fell short. Lucien had a little laugh while Farkas squinted his eyes at Yugo, like a bow-meow ready to pounce.

"We're well aware, thank you for your consideration," Lucien said. "We know everything you can do, especially when you didn't spend the entire day training until exhaustion."

Yugo raised an eyebrow. "You've been spying on us?"

"Ha, no need to," Lucien answered with a shrug. "We only peeked through the files the Sadida are keeping on you and your brother. They've been doing all the spying for us. It seems you're putting a lot more trust in them than they deserve..."

Yugo made a mental note to confront either Amalia or the King about that. That is, if he survived long enough to see them again.

"Anyway," Lucien continued. "Enough talking. You've already bought more than enough time for your friends to catch up, but I'm afraid this will be for naught. Please be assured I will take no pleasure in what's going to happen, Yugo. You're only part of the job."

Yugo raised his fists, ready to enter the dance and give these thugs a good run for their money. But strangely enough, neither of them moved. They just kept staring at him for a long, awkward moment, long enough that Yugo started to wonder if they really expected him to make the first move.

Chibi was looking at him, too, and suddenly his eyes grew large with fear.

"Gugo!"

Yugo turned around just in time to see the tip of a blade materialize from the shadows, aiming straight at his neck. No conscious thinking took place as the boy opened a portal under his feet, doing the one thing that could put him out of harm. The blade slashed inches above his head, slicing through the fabric of his hat, but fortunately missing his skin.

As Yugo disappeared through the ground, he could see the rest of the blade appear, then an arm, then a perfect copy of Lucien which did have a Wakfu signature this time.

Illusions and invisibility. A Sram.

But this vital piece of information didn't help at all, as Yugo had never fought one anyway.

He wasn't entirely through his portal yet when something wet and yucky grabbed his ankles. The Sacrier had shot bloody tendrils at him from across the cavern, and hit his mark. Next thing Yugo knew, he was being hurled through the air like a puppet.

The Eliatrope did what always worked the best in such a situation. He let his survival instincts take over. He opened a portal in front of him, and another one close to the Sacrier. Then he curled into a ball to hit the man square in the back in full force, hard enough to make him slacken his grip both on Yugo's ankles and Chibi.

Yugo freed himself quickly, then he used the opportunity to extend his arms and snatch the now wailing baby out of the Sacrier's grasp. Immediately a slashing sword came to intercept right into his forearms. Yugo retreated hastily through another portal, landing a dozen meters away.

That put Yugo in the perfect firing position, both his targets side by side. The boy didn't hesitate. He drew a portal over another, and the whole cavern shook as his Wakfu beam tore right through the Sram... who dissolved into the shadows. Another illusion. Farkas was already back to his feet, holding Chibi tightly, and Lucien was nowhere to be seen.

With Chibi in the Sacrier's arms, there was no way Yugo would take the risk to open fire on him. On the other hand, Farkas didn't hesitate. He extended his free arm towards the boy and his tattoos morphed into another set of blood tendrils, aimed straight at Yugo's head. The Eliatrope opened two new portals to reflect the attack right at the Sacrier's face, when he felt a presence right behind him.

He'd been static for a just bit too long, and with his hands already full, he couldn't escape before it was too late.

 

* * *

 

"Adamaï!"

Adamaï had fallen to his knees in the lush grass, holding his left side, his face contorted in a ugly grimace. The searing pain in his left side was not his own, but it felt just the same. The rest of the Brotherhood gathered around him.

"Adamaï are you all right?" Evangelyne asked him, putting her hand on his shoulder.

No, he was not all right. Not because he was hurting, but because his brother was somewhere out there fighting for his dear life and Adamaï wasn't there to protect him. Again.

"Yugo..." Adamaï tried to articulate through gritted teeth. The pain seemed to recede somewhat.

"Yugo is running out of time. We need to be quicker."

The others exchanged a puzzled look as Adamaï got to his feet and took off in earnest. There was no time to explain, but Adamaï hoped there was still time to save Yugo.

Or he would never forgive himself.

 

* * *

 

"He tastes delicious!" a feminine voice said excitedly. Was there three of them now?

"I'm not sure our young friend appreciates the compliment, Akula."

"I swear, you two are the most creepy beings I've ever met," Farkas said.

"Coming from someone who uses his own blood to attack, I'll gladly take that as a compliment," Akula retorted with a chuckle.

Yugo had retreated further into the cave, out of view. He was using the faint blue light from his glowing hand to inspect the damage, trying to keep thinking straight despite the pain and the unnerving sobs and Chibi  _was_   _crying_  and he  _couldn't protect him!_

He never should have fought a Sram in such a dark place.

An instant later and the blade would have pierced right through his chest. Instead he had managed to roll on his side and escape at the last second, but the wound, a long cut all across his left side, looked rather bad. Not deep enough to be an immediate concern, but his tunic stuck to his side with a large, dark stain spreading around the sliced fabric.

More importantly, the burning pain made his left arm difficult to use. Yugo was already barely holding his ground, he really didn't need that. Whatever he did next had better be decisive.

"Did he leave?" Farkas asked, his voice echoing around the damp tunnel.

"I'm sure not," Akula answered. "I can easily smell his blood."

"Besides, he wouldn't have left his little brother behind," Lucien noted. "The Master said we wouldn't be safe until he's dead."

"And he's damn right," Yugo concluded.

The boy stepped right into their line of sight, about thirty meters further down the cavern. With no hesitation, ignoring the pain, he aimed his palms at them and opened two portals on top of each other.

The Wakfu beam completely missed its mark, streaking meters away from the thugs. Then the illusion of Lucien disappeared as the real Lucien suddenly flew out of nowhere with a howl of pain. He crashed helplessly against a rock, the burning mark from Yugo's beam right in the middle of his shirt.

Illusions and invisibility couldn't hide Wakfu signatures after all.

Farkas turned towards his partner, then back at Yugo, just in time to receive the boy's knee right into the jaw, fresh out of a portal. The woman he had heard was nowhere in sight, and Yugo didn't have time to care about her anyway. He opened a portal under Chibi before the baby touched down, then another portal to escape, just as the Sacrier struck the ground with his foot in full force.

Pillars of stone shot from the earth, one of them just under Yugo's feet. The pillar slammed him into the cavern's roof, then dropped him face first into the mud with a wet splat. Farkas casually caught Chibi on the fly.

"You can never beat a Sacrier by hitting him, kiddo."

Yugo's head was spinning from the impact. He reached out to open a portal with his valid arm, but he was much too slow. Another tendril from Farkas caught his wrist before he could do anything. Then the Sacrier pulled Yugo next to him and pressed on the boy's head with his foot, holding him firmly into place, his cheek pressing into the mud.

From there Yugo could see Lucien was already back on his feet. He approached with apparent tranquillity, limping only slightly.

"Good catch, Farkas," Lucien said as he knelt next to the boy, a short blade protruding from his gauntlet. A possessed gauntlet, Yugo remarked as he finally understood where the female voice came from. Her single eye was looking at him the way a starving boowolf looked at his next prey.

"You put up a good fight Yugo," Lucien said. "But in the end we had a better plan. If you don't struggle too much I promise to make it quick and painless just for you."

"My brother will find you..." Yugo said hoarsely. "He will make you pay for that."

"I look forward to it," Lucien retorted casually.

As the Shushu blade came closer to Yugo's head, Farkas moved to stand in the way. He pushed Yugo slightly aside with his heel, although he didn't release his crushing grip on the boy's wrist.

"Farkas, what are you doing?" Lucien asked angrily.

Yugo was wondering about the exact same thing.

"We don't need to kill him," Farkas said. "We can just leave him be. We have the Eliatrope we needed, now we just have to go."

Lucien sighed. "The Master's orders are clear," he said patiently. "If you let this one live you will never see the end of it."

"I'm willing to take the chance."

"Yeah me too..." Yugo inserted weakly.

Lucien stood up slowly to face the Sacrier. "You really want to go against a direct order from the Master? And see what the consequences are for disobedience?"

"We have principles Lucien," Farkas said firmly. "Our orders are supposed to be in line with them. It's against the rules to kill children. Unarmed children, even more so. What we're doing here... it can't be right. I'm willing to stand by our principles, no matter the cost."

Yugo discreetly tried to crawl away, but the Sacrier tugged on the tendrils and brought him back at his feet. From there Yugo could see Lucien's face, staring at Farkas in the eyes, his jaw set.

"Looks like we have a problem," Akula stated flatly.

"Something's fishy about this whole business Lucien," Farkas insisted. "Sure we don't like each other but I know you can see it, too."

"My loyalty lies with our Master," Lucien retorted flatly.

"And mine, too. That's the issue. He doesn't seem himself these days. And ordering the killing of innocent kids isn't like him. There's something―"

Farkas was interrupted as small crumbs of dirt fell from the cavern's ceiling. Then a rather large clump of clay landed right between them. On top of it, there was a cute little gerbil.

A white and blue gerbil.

"Oh, don't mind me," the little creature said in a high-pitched, squeaky voice. "That is, if you really want to  _die_!"

Yugo could only put his free arm in front of his face as a maelstrom of Stasis rippled through the cavern, mud, water, splinters from broken rocks flying everywhere. The tendril on his right arm lost its grip. He sat up and barely noticed Chibi being thrown his way, right at his lap.

Adamaï had become... something different. Somewhat like a boowolf, but twice as huge with knife-like claws as long as Yugo's arm slashing at the fleeing thugs. It was a miracle both of them were still in one piece.

Adamaï breathed in, and Yugo knew he was going to incinerate everything in front of him. In any other situation Yugo would have convinced his brother to spare their enemies, but the Dragon was in such a rage that it was no use to even try.

Then through the fray Yugo glimpsed Lucien throwing something small and spherical at Adamaï and retreating hastily. It caused a fiery explosion that shook the entire cavern. Massive chunks of clay started falling from the roof, and Yugo realised the tunnel was caving in on them.

"Adamaï!"

Yugo didn't have the strength nor the focus to portal out of the tunnel in time. Fortunately, an enormous furry white thing suddenly sprang on top of him, sheltering him and Chibi from the falling debris.

There was a loud rumble as the cavern collapsed all around them, everything turning pitch black, then only an eerie silence. A faint blue glow lit up their tiny alcove. Yugo looked at Chibi's face fondly, cradling the baby's frail body with his valid arm, soothing his small whimpers.

"Don't worry little bro. You're safe now."

Chibi made the kind of face that meant he didn't understand much of what was happening, but was rather happy about it nevertheless. Yugo could hear a beastly breathing all around them, and he remarked the ceiling of their small hideout was rather... furry. He located Adamaï's head, more from the noise than the appearance. It was covered in matted fur and... well, beastly. His brother was looking at him with a guilty look.

"What's wrong bro?" Yugo asked curiously.

"I'm... sorry I was so late, Yugo. You nearly got killed in there."

The young Eliatrope grinned widely.

"Are you kidding me? Your timing was perfect. Absolutely. Perfect."

"Well, yeah. I was pretty proud of my punch line, too. Although the squeaky voice nearly ruined it."

They both started giggling, then laughing, uncontrollably. They were just happy to be together. Happy to be alive.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Illustration by the thunderous[Pappis](http://pappcave.tumblr.com)_
> 
> _By now we all know whatever I say about schedule will turn out to be wrong, so instead I'll merely promise to deliver as often as possible. The Wakfu OVAs did give me a nice morale boost, though. I even provided fansubs for them! If you haven't seen them yet, feel free to head over to 4chan /co/ and search for the Wakfu thread._
> 
> _So there goes the first real combat scene in the story. I hope it's up to your expectations, but feel free to tell me everything you don't like. That's the best way to improve!_
> 
>  
> 
> _Another chapter where I can warmly thank my friend Slavok for being such an awesome beta-reader. Although I do feel like "sterilize" could have worked when we're talking about Adamaï breathing fire at living things. Oh well._


	9. Prisoner

Farkas walked as far away from Lucien as the dark tunnel permitted. The Sram was holding the bloody side of his head—he was always such a wimp when it came to injuries, and he didn’t even get hit by an enemy. He'd been hurt by a falling stone when the tunnel had collapsed. Farkas would have laughed had there been anything funny about a failed mission or nearly getting killed by that... thing. Still, Lucien dropping the tunnel was the best move he could have done to cover their retreat, even if Farkas would rather die than admit it.

Neither of them wanted to stay the first word, knowing that it would start another dispute neither of them wanted. They were content with the echoing sound of their footsteps and the water dripping on stone all around them.

Akula, though, was another story.

“I'm hungry,” she said.

“Please,” Lucien retorted, frowning from the annoyance and the pain. “Not now.”

“Maybe 'hungry' is a gross understatement,” the Shushu-blade continued nonetheless. “It's like you shoved a juicy steak under the nose of a starving man, and only let him lick it once. That kind of hungry. Why do you do this to me Lucien?”

The Sram rolled his eyes. “You should say that to the one who deprived you of your juicy steak because he was having second thoughts.”

Farkas clenched his fists. “Or maybe blame the one who missed two killing blows, then flat out refused to just grab our target and leave.”

“The Eliatrope knew I was there,” Lucien said tensely. “I can't explain how, but it's very hard to surprise someone who can... sense your presence somehow. Besides, he was also our target.”

“I still don't agree with that,” Farkas retorted firmly.

“Then save your breath for the Master, because you'll need every ounce of it to justify your failure.”

“My failure? You're the one who decided to improvise,” Farkas corrected. “Like always. The plan worked great before that.”

“Either way that doesn't solve my problem,” Akula said.

Lucien raised an eyebrow as he glanced at his gauntlet. “Which is?”

“ _I'm hungry_!” the Shushu bellowed on top of her voice.

The Sram sighed tiredly. “On the bright side, soon there might be some Sacrier to the menu.”

“I'd love to see you try,” Farkas retorted lightly. Indeed, making an angry Sacrier bleed wasn't the brightest idea, and even Lucien already knew that.

After a few more minutes of silent walking (apart from Akula's constant whining, which Farkas tuned out anyway) he saw the golden light of sunset pouring in the tunnel's exit. The Zaap was a mere mile away. At least they would manage to get away from this mess mostly unscathed.

Well, that's what Farkas thought.

They were barely out of the tunnel when two figures emerged from the bushes ahead of them. Farkas quickly looked over his shoulder, only to see that Lucien had immediately vanished into the shadows, like the coward he was.

The Sacrier surveyed the newcomers with a sweeping glance, easily identifying a Iop and an Enutrof. As one could expect, the Iop immediately charged forward with a battle cry, his molten Shushu broadsword opening the way.

Farkas cracked a smile, waiting for the Iop to bash him with all his might and get a welcome power boost. The Iops' reputation of hitting first and thinking later, if at all, was not overrated.

Well, that's what Farkas thought.

“Pinpin, wait!” a woman called. “Don't hit him!”

Both the Sacrier and the Iop turned towards the woman ―a Cra, judging by her bow― standing on a large lower branch of a nearby tree. She aimed an ice arrow at Farkas.

The Iop groaned and threw his sword to the ground in anger. “What, really? I haven’t had a single baddie to bash in weeks, and you want to solo this one?” he said with overdone theatrical gestures. “Don't you have any condiseration for my feelings, Eva?”

“Consideration, Iop brain,” the Cra woman corrected. “And you don't beat Sacriers by hurting them, that only makes them stronger.”

“Clever girl”, Farkas said with a twisted smile. “But by all means, play nice and let me have all the fun.”

Farkas could do plenty of interesting tricks before he even got hurt, like slamming his skull with full force into the distracted Iop's face. Sadly he couldn't break the ginger's nose, as Iops had none, but he made him stumble a few steps back nonetheless.

At the same instant the ice arrow left the Cra's bow and the Enutrof sent his shovel spinning, but they were both too slow. Farkas had already aimed his hand at the upper branches of the nearest tree and pulled on his bloody tendrils, using them as a grappling hook to get out of harm's way.

Well, that's what Farkas thought, and those unwelcome surprises were quickly becoming annoying.

From the canopy in front of him, Farkas saw a volley of green vines flying his way. He didn't have any time to change course mid-air before the vines grabbed his entire body and wrapped all around him. Unfortunately, they didn't constrict him painfully enough to give him the strength boost he needed to escape.

Hanging upside-down and helpless, Farkas was lowered to the ground until he came face-to-face with a young Sadida woman in noble attire.

“I promise this won't hurt in the least,” she said coldly, with a haughty tone. “And I'm sincerely sorry I can't give you what we both want. But I hope for you that Yugo is still alive and well, or believe me, I'll find a safe way to make you regret it dearly.”

“Looking forward to it,” Farkas retorted casually. He cast a glance around to see if Lucien was doing anything to free him, but somehow... he hoped not. Because talking to these people would be the perfect way for Farkas to learn more about a situation he really didn't like.

 

* * *

 

Yugo sat on a leaf-covered bed in the infirmary of the Sadida palace. A young, bespectacled Eniripsa healer was tending to his rather ugly wound, under the anxious gazes of Adamaï and Alibert. Outside the window, sunset slowly retreated to leave place to a clear, starry night.

Battered, exhausted, his clothes and half his face covered in dried mud, the Eliatrope wanted nothing more than a warm bath and a comfortable bed. Az stood on top of his hat, surveying the room for any source of further danger.

“Ouch!” Yugo yelped with a wince, startling the little Tofu away.

“Sorry,” the Eniripsa said. “It might sting a little.”

Adamaï growled. “I'll let you know if it stings too much.”

“Calm down Ad',” Yugo said with a smile. “He's doing a great job!”

The Dragon frowned sceptically, blowing a puff of black smoke through his nostrils.

“He's always super protective,” Yugo explained as he noticed the Eniripsa eyeing his brother fearfully. “But he doesn't mean any harm, I promise.”

The Eniripsa gulped. “If you say so.” Adamaï gave him a dark glance.

Yugo chuckled. The fatigue and relief of the situation made him feel euphoric. The Eniripsa hovered his wand along Yugo's wound. It emitted a bright light that easily mended the skin in its wake. It stung for sure, but it was nothing he couldn't deal with.

Suddenly the doors of the infirmary flung open. The rest of the Brotherhood poured in with Amalia in the lead. Still concentrating on his work, the healer let out an annoyed sigh.

“If you can't read the sign on the door, then at least you should know this place is supposed to stay... oh, my apologies, Princess, I didn't mean―”

“No offence taken, Timov,” Amalia answered coolly. “Focus on your task before that vicious creature over there gets angry.”

“Hey!” Adamaï protested.

Amalia ignored him, staring and frowning at Yugo instead. The boy looked at his feet, prepared for another lecture. Again, he had rushed into harm's way, again, he nearly got killed, _again_ , and he came back looking like he went through a stampede of Gobballs.

If there was a comical effect in such repetition, Amalia didn't seem to appreciate it.

“I feel fine you know,” Yugo tried with little conviction, still avoiding her gaze.

Amalia shook her head in disbelief. “Why do I even care? It's painfully obvious you're not the least concerned that I have to worry about you all the time.”

“I'm worried too,” Alibert said. “I mean, if that helps.”

“Someone had to save Chibi!” Yugo blurted out, looking at both of them intently.

“That's exactly what you said barely an hour ago! That what you _always_ say!” Amalia retorted angrily. “Of course _someone_ had to play the hero, but no one said it should always be _you_. And one day it won't end well, you know that. Let's just... let's be glad today isn't that day.”

They stared silently at each other for a long moment. Someone had tried to harm Chibi, and even though Yugo had caused Amalia, Alibert and all the others a lot of worry once again, doing nothing was never an option. But of course he had expected the encounter to go a lot better, and his overconfidence could have costed him dearly.

Yugo suddenly remembered about the Sram telling him how the Sadida had been spying on Adamaï and him. He opened his mouth to ask Amalia, then closed it, realizing it wasn't the right moment.

“There you go,” the healer said, stirring Yugo out of his thoughts. Timov looked pleased with his work. The boy glanced at his bare side. He could only see a lighter line across his skin, almost invisible.

“Wow, thank you!” he said with a grateful smile.

“My pleasure,” the Eniripsa answered. He retreated hastily, in a obvious hurry to get as far as possible away from Adamaï.

“You went for the cavern's exit, right?” Yugo asked the others as he put his ruined shirt back on. “Did you find anything interesting?”

“No,” Tristepin said, his face contorted in a stubborn pout. “Of course we found the only baddie in the entire Kingdom, and of course Eva forbade me from smashing him into a pulp.”

“Pinpin...” Evangelyne said with an exasperated sigh. “Yes, we have a prisoner Yugo. A Sacrier, so of course 'smashing him into a pulp' was not a good idea. He's in the dungeon, waiting for us to go interrogate him.”

“Err...” Yugo began awkwardly. “ _Interrogate_ him?”

“Yes, like... asking him questions,” Evangelyne said cautiously.

“And breaking his teeth if he doesn't talk,” Adamaï added mischievously.

“Great idea!” Tristepin said.

“No way! Taking revenge is not the point,” Yugo warned firmly, frowning at both of them.

Adamaï shrugged flippantly. “Of course. It’s just a pleasant side effect. And since we can reasonably expect him not to say anything before we take a whole lot of revenge on him, everyone will be happy. That's the way an interrogation is supposed to work, isn’t it?”

Yugo stared at his brother, blinking incredulously. Adamaï laughed.

“Relax bro, I'm joking. Though you do always seem to worry for the people who've done the least to deserve it.”

“That way he doesn't have to care about the people who do deserve it,” Amalia said grumpily.

“What? That's just not true Amalia!” Yugo said, more heatedly than he first intended. “I... well, you know I care about you. I mean... all of you.”

Yugo felt the heat rising to his cheeks. He looked down at his feet.

“Then you have a peculiar way of showing it,” the Princess said as she turned on her heels.

Well, they did have a point. That Sacrier had attacked Alibert and kidnapped Chibi, yet Yugo couldn't make himself angry at him. Before that, he had also cared about the fates of Nox and Qilby, despite everything they'd done.

Maybe Adamaï was right. Maybe Yugo did have his feelings mixed up and ought to work out his priorities. Or maybe they were all wrong. As much as he tried, Yugo couldn't understand how one life could be priceless, and another one an... an _inconvenience_.

Ruel put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you all right, kiddo?”

Yugo nodded, offering his old friend his best fake smile, which he hoped was more convincing than it felt.

“Yes. Just tired,” he said curtly while he stood up. “Let's get done with it.”

 

* * *

 

 

The complete Brotherhood of the Tofu descended the spiral staircase to the Sadida prison, with the addition of Joris and Armand. Soon they entered the dark and gloomy dungeon under the Palace, a large volume with its walls lined by prison cells, and a pit of smelly swamp water at the bottom. Most of the cells stood empty, which confirmed Yugo's impression that the Kingdom was rather safe and peaceful.

“Oh, this brings back memories,” Ruel said brightly.

“What?” Yugo asked.

“That's a long story,” Amalia cut in as she stopped in front of a cell. “Here he his.”

From the back of his dark cell, the Sacrier threw them a disinterested glance. He had been chained to the wall, and he looked rather bored.

“Let us in,” Amalia commanded to the Sadida guard near the door. The soldier nodded and used a key that made the door of magical vines disappear.

Joris turned to Yugo and Adamaï.

“I shall be conducting the interrogation,” he said in a low voice. “Please don't take offence, but it's not the sort of skill I'd expect you to master. If you want to ask questions, please wait until I get him to talk.”

Yugo nodded, relieved that he didn't have to take a more active role. The situation made him uneasy.

“And what if he doesn't talk?” Adamaï asked grimly. “He's a Sacrier after all. How persuasive can you get before he's powerful enough to escape?”

“We have our ways,” Joris said evasively. “Let us hope we won't have to use them, of course.”

The three of them went to stand in front of the Sacrier, with the remainder of the company watching from the corridor.

Farkas didn't seem to register their presence, his expression indiscernible. Granted, the blank eyes didn't help.

“I take it you already know who we are,” Joris said.

The Sacrier didn't move the slightest, or show any sign of interest.

“Of course my first question would be to know who _you_ are.”

No reaction.

“Who are you working for?”

The Sacrier snorted noisily.

“Why did you want to kidnap an Eliatrope child, and kill the other?”

Only silence.

Joris sighed and scratched his chin thoughtfully. “You know, there's only two ways to go through this moment. The easy and comfortable one: you talk, we listen. And the not-so-comfortable one. The choice is only yours, and whatever it shall be, rest assured we well get our answers in the end. So, by all means, pick wisely.”

The man only let out a noisy sigh that sounded like boredom.

“Good,” Joris said. “I'm glad you made up your mind so quickly.”

He reached inside his blue cloak, and drew out a glass vial containing some murky substance. As he uncorked it, Yugo hastily stepped forward to grab his shoulder.

“Joris, wait! What is that?”

“A potion,” the hooded little man answered flatly.

“I can see that,” Yugo pressed on impatiently. “But what will it do to him?”

“It's only meant to weaken his powers.”

Yugo blinked in confusion. “Oh... that's all? I mean, it's... not that bad then, right?”

Joris gently yanked his shoulder out of the boy's grip. “Of course not. That way, we can make sure he won't be able to escape as we extract the information we need.”

“Uh... 'extract'?” Adamaï asked. “What does that mean? How do you 'extract' information?”

For an answer, Joris nodded towards the door. Yugo hadn't noticed before, but a tall, brawny Sadida with an especially emotionless face had joined them. He held a crate filled with varied metal instruments that gave the boy a cold shudder.

“No!” Yugo exclaimed. “You can't do that!”

Joris glanced back at him quizzically.

“You don't wish to know why this person attacked you and your family? And most importantly, what further plans he may have to harm your entire people?”

“I... of course I do,” Yugo stammered. “But not that way.”

“Sure thing, Master Eliatrope,” Joris said, letting his impatience show through his usual mask of calmness. “What way shall it be, then? I'm all ears.”

“I don't know!” Yugo retorted angrily. Why couldn't that damn Sacrier just talk? The boy turned towards Adamaï, motioning him to say something, silently asking him for help.

The Dragon sighed, his face set in a stern mask.

“Look Yugo, I don't like it either, all right? Bashing that guy for a bit sounded fun at first, maybe... or maybe not. I agree this is all messed up. But what choice do we have?”

Adamaï paused, his gaze elusive as he tried to pick his words carefully.

“Maybe Joris is right, maybe someone really wants to make sure our people won't ever come back. At the council of twelve, most of the leaders were hostile towards us. They hated the idea of our return, so that's definitely possible, and if some of the most powerful people in the world have decided to stand in our way, then we need to know everything we can, right?”

Yugo crossed his arms and frowned angrily at his brother. “So you'd be fine with torturing a prisoner? That's what you're telling me?”

Adamaï shook his head firmly. “No, of course I'm not _fine_ with it, but... we really need those answers, one way or another. No one forced him to go attack us, and no one’s forcing him to keep his mouth shut now. He made his bed, and now he has to lie in it, and the fact that his bed is a rack is his problem. Try to be rational for once. The return of our people is way more important than he is.”

“He saved my life,” Yugo stated flatly.

The Dragon gave a nervous snicker. “No, I saved your life, remember? Just because he got cold feet halfway through doesn't mean you would have survived in the end.”

“We're heroes,” the boy insisted. “Heroes don't do that kind of thing.”

“Yugo, listen,” Joris cut in suddenly. “You need to stop seeing the world in only black and white. You have honourable goals, but sometimes you must be ready to make hard decisions in order to reach them.”

Yugo clenched his fists. “Hard?” he demanded. “ _Hard_?! How is beating up someone who can’t fight back _hard_? It’s easy! It’s easy and it’s _wrong_!”

His angry voice rang around the prison, and he felt a familiar kind of righteous anger swell in his chest. The same kind of burning rage had fuelled him when he fought Nox, or Qilby, but it was disturbing to feel the same against people who were supposed to be his friends.

“Sacrificing everything and everyone to reach his goals, that's what Qilby would have done,” Yugo said. “But we're better than him, aren't we?”

Joris squinted his eyes. “Then what is your proposition? Would you want to just leave the prisoner be?”

“Yes!” Yugo answered sternly. He crossed Adamaï's gaze, and suddenly realized the comparison with Qilby may have hurt his brother. Yet Adamaï, oddly, kept silent as he looked sideways, hiding his feelings.

“I do not believe that is a wise decision,” Joris said thoughtfully, his gaze resting on the chained Sacrier. “Although, since this is a prisoner of the Sadida Kingdom, neither of us have the final say on the matter.” He turned towards the door. “Prince Armand?”

Yugo couldn't believe his ears. “Are you really going to just ignore what I―”

“Of course Joris, do what you must,” Armand interrupted smugly, leaning on the door frame. “And if some of our _guests_ feel like they can't handle a little torture, they can always wait outside.”

Yugo crossed the Prince's gaze and frowned angrily. Under his hat, he was boiling. At that moment, storming away from the shady room, from the palace, from the entire Sadida Kingdom felt like a great idea. But he realized he was the last barrier standing between his friends and a deed he couldn't tolerate, and he knew leaving wasn't an option any more.

Yugo could feel the numerous stares following him as he calmly walked the few steps to stand right in front of the prisoner, facing all of them.

“No. You won't touch him.”

Armand's little smug grin widened into a broad smile. Next to him, Amalia was motioning Yugo to drop the matter. Adamaï looked at him blankly, like he was staring at a ghost. Ruel pointed a finger to his temple, gesturing his own doubts about Yugo's sanity.

“Or what?” Armand asked light-heartedly.

“Or nothing. You won't touch him.”

The Sadida Prince laughed heartily, while Evangelyne mouthed the words _what are you doing_ to Yugo.

“So that's really how it works with your kin.” Armand said. “You throw your conditions to our face, or in this situation your puny little tantrum, and you threaten us with a fight if we don't give in. What a stunning sense of diplomacy.”

“Prince Armand, please,” Joris cut in sternly. “Everyone has had a rough day, and maybe we shall let the matter rest for tonight... before some of us say unfortunate words they might regret tomorrow.”

Joris said the last few words while looking intently at Yugo, but the young Eliatrope wasn’t discouraged the least.

“You can wait until tomorrow,” he said flatly. “As long as you want. It won't change anything. I won't let you do that.”

To Yugo's surprise, Adamaï suddenly jumped to stand at his side.

“What are you doing, bro?” Yugo asked in a low voice.

“You're a crazy fool,” Adamaï whispered back. “But you'd be way more crazy to believe I'd let you deal with them on your own.”

“Fine, as you wish,” Armand said with a dismissive wave of his hand towards the twins. “If it's useless to wait it out, then we will settle the matter here and now. Gua―”

“I'll talk.”

Yugo blinked in confusion and turned around, realizing the Sacrier had spoken for the first time.

“What?” Joris asked.

“I'll talk,” Farkas repeated calmly. “You're laughable Joris, far below your reputation. And that Sadida monkey with all his shiny toys, I couldn't wait for him to tickle me.”

Joris squinted his eyes snidely. “Then why spoil yourself all the fun?” he asked.

The Sacrier pointed his chin at Yugo.

“When they briefed me on this mission to kill you, they told me a lot about you. They told me how you were a threat to the World of Twelve as we know it, and a danger to innocent people everywhere.”

Farkas laughed scornfully. “No offence, kid, but as the only decent guy here, you’re not what I expected. Either they were wrong, or they lied to me on purpose, and I'd really like to know what's going on in this story.”

“They?” Adamaï asked.

“The Guild,” Farkas answered casually.

The twins exchanged a blank look and shrugged, as did all the others. A nameless Guild didn't ring any bells for them. However, Joris looked at the Sacrier in surprise and bewilderment.

“What, you know about them Joris?” Yugo asked curiously.

“Yes,” Joris admitted. “I know them very well. In fact... I often work with them.”

The Sacrier laughed. “Looks like you'll have a lot of explaining to do, Joris.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Illustration by the inimitable[Pappis](http://pappcave.tumblr.com)_
> 
> _The main reason why I cut the chapter here is not for the cliffhanger, but rather because I just wanted to finally stop rewriting it after three different versions. That was surprisingly difficult, but thanks to Slavok helping me with his insightful editing, the end result feels satisfactory. Well, as per usual, you're the only judge._


End file.
